Descend to Darkness
by Kyuubi04
Summary: Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow change, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discove
1. Chapter 1: Resurfacing Memories

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 1: **Resurfacing Memories

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow change, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavander Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably a short series and updates will probably range from twiceto once a month.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Half of summer had already passed and still, Harry Potter lies asleep in one of Hogwarts Infirmary's Hospital beds. He was tediously reliving everything that had happened that day in the Department of Mysteries during their quest for the prophecy:

_He watched as if in slow motion as his godfather was thrown towards the veil. He helplessly tried to approach but was rooted to the ground. When Sirius' body vanished, it was as if a trigger had been pressed and suddenly, Harry was engulfed by an unbelievable burst of magic. He called softly, in a voice much deeper and older than his own, "__**Return him to me!**__" And as if an invincible force made its way towards the place the wispy vestiges of the ancient artefact was forced to open once again. And in another burst of energy, Harry felt his magic search for his godfather's presence and when it was found, he felt himself tug at it with much brutality until the animagus was brought back to the land of the living._

_As this was happening, the fighters from both sides were frozen in shocked at the power that they had just witnessed. They stood there in both awe and dread awaiting the young man's next move. They watched as the boy-who-lived scanned the area and laid the Azkaban escapee towards an unoccupied area not touched by the raging battle. Again, he uttered, "__**Dome Protection**__" and with those words, a runic circle appeared beneath the unconscious man bearing multiple protection runes where a transparent dome of magical energy covered his body, shielding him from any stray spells. The others didn't even notice that the young wizard wasn't acting like himself for they were only seeing the power that he exudes._

_Suddenly, as if sensing the number of eyes on him, Harry turned at them to show eyes that glowed silver-green. He was releasing power so strong that he almost shined in its intensity. Locking his sight on Bellatrix, he raised his hand and growled out, "__**Soul Chain!**__" The insane witch realized the danger that she was in but it was too late, Harry's spell had already reached her binding her very soul. Knowing that he had connected, he pushed his magic back towards the veil and threw his godfather's cousin and said coldly, "__**I give to you her soul in return for what I have taken back.**__" The veil's magic stretched out in welcome for the gift given and accepted Bellatrix' screeching body into its folds. This seemed to have restarted the on-going battle as all the witches and wizards present began to fire of spells and curses towards their foes._

_The young wizard walked towards the opposite side of the field where he could see the headmaster apparate to duel with the Dark Lord. He sensed a slight kinship towards the tainted man and at the same time he was disgusted by the feel of the man's soul scattered into different links. He glided towards the two powerful wizards, deflecting any spell or curse that made its way to him. He stopped before the two and waited for them to notice his presence. Voldemort was the first to see him, not noticing the magic that came from the young wizard as he taunted his opponent, "__**Really, old man... do you think that you could defeat me now that you're Golden Boy is here?**__" Upon hearing his words, Albus Dumbledore moved towards his student and asked in a voice laced with renewed power, "__**Harry, are you alright?**__" The young man didn't acknowledge him but instead Harry spoke, in that deep voice towards Voldemort, "__**You are a disgrace in the Slytherin Line. You have tainted in far too much and it's time to make you pay for your crimes.**__" The aged headmaster was startled by his words, not knowing what he had meant. The Dark Lord, on the other hand, scoffed at him and goaded, "__**What do you know about the noble line of Slytherin, you brat. You know nothing but I, I know everything that my line had ever wanted. I follow only the teaching of my great ancestor.**__" He gazed at the boy but found that he was totally unfazed while his previous opponent was turning from confused to wary once more. He raised his wand and began to utter the killing curse but was prevented when he found that he was unable to even speak it. He glared at Dumbledore who, once again, raised his wand, finding Voldemort unable to fire a single spell, and tried to bind him. He was, however, disrupted when the young wizard beside him spoke again, this time with more steel in his tone, "__**I did not teach my children to kill innocents and become bigoted, you imbecilic heir of Solivan! I could have decided to set you free but know now that your acts made you deserve the punishment that I'm going to give you.**__" The dark wizard laughed at his words, not even realizing the implications of what had been said. However, Dumbledore was no fool, so he listened intently and a dawning realization came upon him. He tried to comment on it but was once again halted when his student began to chant, "__**Soul Links reconnect and be bound! Terra Separation! Tainted Soul I release you, go to your destination and allow yourself to be judged as either worthy or unworthy.**__" As he uttered each chant, the fragments of Voldemort's soul was forcefully rejoined in his body and bound together. Then his soul and body was separated making the latter crumble into dust while the former was banished into a portal going towards the in-between world._

_As their conversation was going on, aurors were pouring in to the area along with the minister, Cornelius Fudge. They had heard the boy-hero chant the spell the brought the Dark Lord's demise. Although, they were unable to see everything, they saw enough to make them realize that the person they were trying to ostracize was indeed correct in proclaiming the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. At the same time, they learned the very fact that Harry Potter had once again saved their world from the evil man. Fudge ordered his aurors to enter the inner room to help the members of the Order of the Phoenix in capturing the Death Eater who were paralyzed by the sudden death of their master. However, much to their surprise, Lucius Malfoy was still able to move but before he was arrested for several crimes, Albus Dumbledore approached him with his grandfatherly smile, hiding his confusion, and said loudly for everybody to hear, "__**It seems that you can finally feel at ease, Lucius. You no longer have to risk your life for feeding information about Voldemort.**__" He turned to Severus Snape and added, "__**You as well, Severus. Be at ease, your life as a spy has finally come to its end.**__" The two men nodded at him and apparated out of the battle-worn area, deciding to enjoy the first day of true freedom. The rest of the Death Eaters were bound in their dazed state and when somebody tried to take Sirius Black, the man was repelled by Harry's magic. He fired spell after spell only to be stopped by Harry himself, "__**Stay away from him. He is innocent of the crimes that you accuse him of. If you must arrest someone then search for Pettigrew as well as the others who bears HIS mark.**__" The man tried to protest but was interrupted, "__**If you will insist then I suggest that you give him a trial that is proper for a member of a noble pureblood line. I will not allow you to cart him back to that human hellhole! Use veritaserum if you must but give him the trial that he deserves.**__" With that, the man watched helplessly as he witnessed Harry pick up the prone man and give him to a wounded Remus Lupin who wholeheartedly accepted the load._

_With everything in place, the minister, as well as many others, approached their heroin order to congratulate him on his victory. However, they didn't expect Harry to give a silent scream filled with pure agony as his body began to convulse and open up with gashes that were held at bay by his magic that is now waning. He crumpled beside Dumbledore who held him firmly as cut after cut arose from his pale body. The others didn't know what to think and fortunately, one Neville Longbottom possessed a common sense that told them to bring him to a healer. Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of those with only minor injuries, apparated Harry to the edge of Hogwarts upon the order of the headmaster. He levitated the young man inside the castle towards the infirmary where Poppy Pomfrey ushered him to place the prone boy into one of the beds._

_In his semi-conscious state, Harry heard pieces of conversation between the medi-witch and the headmaster._

_"__**He... suffered... severe... exhaustion...**__" (He has suffered from severe magical exhaustion.)_

_"__**Do... know... he's... to... up...**__" (Do you know when he's going to wake up?)_

_"__**I... know... really... what... the... do... there... it... as... he's... all... magic... one... only... call... back... once...**__" (I don't know. Really, Albus, what did the boy do in there today? It is as if he's released his magic in one go only to call it back at once.)_

_"__**I... understand... myself... Harry... himself... that... like... else... standing... his...**__" (I don't understand it myself, Poppy. Harry wasn't himself during that battle. It's like someone else is standing in his place.)_

_"__**Then... guess... can't... anything... We'll... have... wait... he... up...**__" (Then, I guess I can't do anything else. We'll just have to wait until he wakes up then.)_

_With that, the young man succumbed to full unconsciousness, dreaming only of events that were unknown but somewhat familiar to him until he reached the day of the last battle._

At the end of his dream, Harry Potter woke up with a jumble of emotions. There was confusion, shock, bewilderment, and underneath it all, there was relief at the knowledge that Voldemort was dead once and for all. His only problem was he felt as though there was someone else controlling his body as well as his magic. It was like he was watching from behind as someone was directing his very movements but at the same time, he knew that it was himself who did it. He was so confused and taken up by his thoughts that he didn't notice Madam Pomfrey approach his bed until he heard the noise of metal hitting a stone floor.

*_Clang*_

The medi-witch was surprised to see her charge sitting upright and was unable to prevent the medicine tray from slipping her grasp. Startled out of his reverie, Harry listlessly waved his hand and visualized the tray and its contents back in order. And much to his surprise, he found himself successful in pulling off such a feat. He stared at his hand as Madam Pomfrey stared at him in surprise. She approached the fireplace in her office and called the headmaster into the Hospital Wing. Harry, on the other hand, was so caught up in his surprise that he failed to notice the school matron head towards her office.

He only snapped back into reality when Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat to get his attention. He looked up to see several of his professors beside the headmaster. "**Hello, sir. Hello Professor McGonagall, Professor Vector, Professor Sinistra, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Snape.**" The aged man inclined his head and replied genially, "**I'm glad that you are awake, Harry.**" "**Sir, may I ask something?**" The young man replied respectfully. Dumbledore nodded at him in response so he continued, "**How long was I asleep, sir? It's been a long time isn't it?**" "**Yes, Harry. You've been asleep for almost four months now. In fact, tomorrow is your birthday.**" The headmaster answered. He gave an understanding nod and waited for the old wizard to speak. He wasn't disappoint because as soon as he became quiet, Dumbledore asked him, "**Now, Harry, my boy. Could you please tell me what you did back there in the Department of Mysteries?**" He gazed at his mentor and replied honestly, "**I don't know, sir.**"

Upon hearing this, Severus Snape sneered and interjected, "**Of course you don't know. You've just walked towards the Dark Lord and told him to go and die and he just did. Really, Potter, are you so stupid so as not to remember what you did?**" Before the Potion's Professor was reprimanded by Dumbledore, Harry answered him truthfully but confusedly without any sign of reacting at the man's words, "**Honestly, I don't know what happened. All I remember was that I saw Bellatrix Lestrange throw Sirius into that veil and something inside me snapped. Somehow, my magic came off of me in waves and it felt like I was seeing things from a different point of view. It's like someone was using my body at the same time, I know that I'm the one who was consciously moving.**" He gazed at his professors imploring them to explain to him what had happened. The others shook their heads negatively while Snape was shocked to receive an honest reply instead of the angry retort that he was expecting. He actually welcomed the thoughts of Harry suffering from trauma. He couldn't believe that the boy was acting as docilely as he was acting now. As he was about to leave, his attention was snapped back to the headmaster who dragged him to the infirmary when the bearded man answered in a soft voice, "**I have a theory but I still don't have proof to show you. But expect me to call you once I've confirmed it. Now, I think it's time for you to rest your body. See you later, Harry.**" "**Wait, sir. How's Sirius?**" Harry asked suddenly. The old man replied jovially at this, "**He's finally free since he was finally given a trial at your bequest. Now, rest easy, my boy.**" With that said, the headmaster herder the others out of the infirmary to allow their young ward to have some rest.

Harry, on the other hand, was far from feeling restful. He stood up and walked towards the balcony to look outside. He was enjoying the view when he caught sight of a person flying. He wondered about who it was so he re-entered into the wing and approached the matron in her office. "**Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey.**" The elderly women poked her head out of the door and answered him, "**Yes, dear?**" "**Well, I was just wondering if there's someone here aside from the professor's and myself. I saw someone flying outside and was kind of curious.**" He said quietly. He waited and finally the woman told him, "**Actually, there is another student here. Draco Malfoy was delivered here by his father due to some renovations being done at their manor and since Severus was the boy's godfather, it was decided that he should stay here.**" He nodded at this and went back to the balcony to watch the flying boy.

Poppy Pomfrey was confused. She thought that the boy would react violently about the young Malfoy being here but to her surprise, her patient merely nodded went back to the balcony. She wrote this on her official patient's report along with other facts that have been discussed earlier. When the sun set down, Harry went back to his bed and slept. This time he dreamt of finally having a home to live in and the anticipation of being with his new family.

When the clock struck midnight, Hogwarts witnessed the return of its beloved master as Harry Potter turned sixteen, the age when Salazar Slytherin received the honour of having the duty as the Gate Keeper of Souls. The young man glowed as he was given back all his past memories from his horrid childhood up to his death. At the same time, the castle itself became rejuvenated by the magic produced by her young man. The time passed with all of the knowledge that he had acquired a thousand years ago returned to him. This time, he awoke with the satisfaction of knowing what had truly happened. He smile and greeted the castle mentally, giving it a soft caress. He closed his eyes, which were no longer green but silver-green, and thought about having a talk with the headmaster. With all things in order, he went back to sleep.

On the far-end of the castle, Albus Dumbledore felt the resonance of power coming from the infirmary and smiled at himself. He was poring over several books about reincarnations and finally found what he was looking for in a book entitled_** The Bearers of True Immortality by The Black Princess**_. With his acquired knowledge, he waited to see if he was right in his assumption earlier. He wasn't disappointed and knowing that the founder had already merged with Harry's personality, he was anticipating the discussion that they would have. Setting the book aside, the headmaster went to sleep after he was given some reassurance by the castle itself.


	2. Chapter 2: Discussions and an Insight

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 2: **Discussions and an Insight towards Real Events

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow change, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

The sun rose brightly on the horizon and it signalled to Harry that it was time to wake up. The young man smiled at himself and decided to do a scan on his body. Once he was sure that he had no further damage aside from the cuts that resulted from carelessly using his magic, he decided to sneak out of the hospital wing and head towards the headmaster's office. His ascent towards the headmaster was uneventful and soon, he was face-to-face with the stone gargoyle guarding the staircase to the tower. He ordered the guardian to move aside and it gladly answered to his command.

Inside the office, he waited for Dumbledore to make an appearance. He sat on the chair ready for anybody wishing to meet with the headmaster. He didn't wait for long since Dumbledore, expecting his visit, came down as soon as he felt the opening of his office. He greeted the young man with a soft smile and said, "**Good morning, Harry or should I say Lord Slytherin?**" The young man inclined his head and answered softly, "**Hmm, Harry is fine, Headmaster Dumbledore. But I'm curious, how did you know that it was me and not someone else?**"

"**Well, I assume that you recall what had happened in the Department of Mysteries?**"

"**Yes, I do recall it. Why? Does it have any relevance to your knowledge?**"

"**Actually, during your conversation with Voldemort, you have indicated that you are a Slytherin and when he said that he was doing your wishes, you have implied that he was a Slytherin heir but not yours, so I guess it is safe to assume that you are indeed Lord Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of this magnificent school.**"

"**I see. Well, I guess I should not dally any longer. I am here to prove to you that I am no threat to the school.**"

"**Why would you do that, Harry?**"

"**Apparently, I am considered to be a bigoted bastard encouraging the persecution of muggleborns so I just have to set the records straight, so to speak.**"

"**Is that so? Then be my guest and regale me with your tale.**"

"**Where would you like me to start, Headmaster?**"

"**The beginning would be appreciated, my boy.**"

"**Very well. As you have already guessed, I am Salazar Slytherin, reigning lord of the Slytherin line. I am the second son and my brother who is Tom Riddle's ancestor, Solivan Slytherin is supposed to be the next lord. But, this didn't come to pass because my father, after sending me away to give him some free time to teach my brother of his duties, deemed him unworthy to be his heir. The reason may be his tendency for self-indulgence, cruelty and prejudice. So, soon after my return, which has been ten years since I was sent away, father gave me the title as the new lord. At the same time, I was made the Gate Keeper of Souls which gave me the chance to grow not only in body but in magic as well. During my training, I have met Godric Gryffindor and his cousin, Lady Rowena Ravenclaw. Both of them were three years older than me. The three of us spent many times together as we were training under the same master. We encountered Helga Hufflepuff two years after I was made into an apprentice. It seems to me that our master Lady Marianne Moonhaven has actually opened her ancestral home in order to teach young wizards and is accepting children who are no younger than six to teach them the different branches of magic. When all of us reached the age of fourteen, we were tested to see whether we have an affinity over an element. Godric has the affinity over fire while Rowena has can control water. Helga can manipulate sound in some degree but she is more connected to earth. I, myself, have an affinity over darkness and the psyche. From there, we were trained to use our magic in coordination with our corresponding elements and our education ended only when we reached sixteen. We were given our own titles with regards to our own well-honed abilities. Godric is the Battle Master. Rowena is the Enchantress. Helga is the Sonic Maker. And I am the Soul Keeper or if you want to be long-winded, the Gate Keeper of Souls. We parted ways for about five years until I saw Helga by chance. We talked about old times and then, we decided to send an invitation to the other two. I found out the my good friend, Godric, wishes to set up a school similar to my master's so I offered this castle which, as far as I know, still belongs to the Slytherin Line. He agreed on the pretence that the four of us have to collaborate in setting up the school. And thus, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry came to be. Actually, the name "Hogwarts" was given as a joke by Rowena when Helga mentioned something about owning a pig that looks like it has warts. We taught our students the same subjects that we were taught. There were no houses then, but due to the sudden popularity of the school, we were forced to set up dormitories for the children and separated them under our guidance. We decided that it best segregate the children based on the most prevalent characteristics that they possess which are "Courage", "Intellect", "Loyalty", and "Cunning". The school prospered however there was this event that almost ruined everything that we've strived for. It seems that demons have decided to invade our realm and in order to prevent these beings; our master and her colleagues sacrificed themselves. We were made their heirs with the request that we continue in educating the young witches and wizards of today. Then, when I was twenty-three, I was suddenly called to an urgent meeting and was forced to leave the school. As I can't leave my students without a guardian, I foolishly asked my brother to take my place. Upon reaching my destination, I realized that I fell into a trap set up by my very own kin. I fought against my captors until I escaped. I tried to return but the journey was long and my body can no longer handle the burden of my injuries and magical depletion so I died while trying to go back home. As I have used soul magic for so long, my soul itself latched onto this earth and refused to pass on. In my astral form, I returned to Hogwarts without my friends' knowledge. They must've realized that I died for they were in mourning. Years passed and I witnessed my brother ruin everything that I have strived to cultivate in my children's minds. They were turned into bigoted people who believe themselves above any form of authority. My brother discovered by chamber and addled my basilisk's mind. He turned her from being the school guardian into a weapon against the school. I was only thankful that I have locked the other quarters of my chamber through soul magic and Solivan was unable to infiltrate it. Then, everything happened according to the history books with the exception that it is not I but my brother who was banished.**"

"**Well, that's settles it then. You are to remain here as a student and finish the curriculum. Do you anything to say?**"

"**Actually, I do.** **I'm** **just wondering** **as to how I regained my memories when during my other reincarnations I didn't even realized that I am who I am.**"

"**I have no idea but maybe you have in your chamber any manuscript regarding your case. The only thing that I learned from one of my books is to how to recognize a reincarnated being.**"

"**Hmm, I may do just that, headmaster.**"

"**Finally, now that the facts are already laid out, I think it's time that we had breakfast. Blarkie! **" The headmaster snapped his fingers and a house-elf popped into the tower. The creature bobbed its head in a curtsy and asked, "**Blarkie asks you's sirs what you's needing...**"

"**We would appreciate it if you would kindly bring us some breakfast, Blarkie.**" The aged man told the elf kindly. The elf bobbed its head once again in ascent and answered, "**Blarkie's gonna serve you's sirs you's breakfast. Blarkie'll be back with you's foods.**" With that, the creature popped out of the room and returned to deliver two trays of hot breakfast instantly.

Harry examined the tray and noted that his contained mashed potatoes, some eggs, bacons, ham and four pieces of bread while the headmaster's breakfast contains of some soup, salad, and bread. He shook his head wryly and asked, "**Is there a reason why we have different sets of food. I find myself looking at a highly fatty breakfast while you are served with something so healthy?**"

Dumbledore laughed at his remark and brushed it off with his reply, "**Oh, don't you worry yourself to much. I am only served this type of breakfast because our resident healer told me to mind my food intake since I'm already getting on in age. Come now; let's enjoy our breakfast while chatting.**"

The two ate in silence until the eccentric old man broke it with a question, "**I'm wondering, are you still just Harry or are you Salazar?**"

The young man scrutinized him for a moment before answering, "**I am Harry still but I guess when I recovered my original memories, I have somehow merged my two personalities together.**"

"**Understandable. It only shows that your passionate nature nurtured as Harry is now tempered with the calm wisdom of a grown man.**"

"**Hmm... It's only natural that I act upon the changes that I have felt in myself. As Harry, I have been exposed to neglect and am quite starved in affection so I tend to be passionate in defending those I have marked as my family as well as in retaliating against my oppressors such as Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy. As Salazar, I am inundated into harsh training, discipline and politics so I learned how to act and counteract against people in a more subtle manner. It is therefore inevitable that with recovering my memories, my passion will be toned down by my discipline while my passivity will be incensed by my exuberance. It is a very forthcoming change and I am very enthused by these events.**"

"**I am glad to hear that. Another thing, you've said that you've been made heirs by your previous masters. Can you enlighten me as to what these inheritances are? I am really quite curious about them.**"

The young lord scrunched his faced in contemplation but decided that answering would cause him no harm so he said, "**Well, I am made heir of the Moonhaven line. Godric is given the Sagebryne Estates. Rowena is gifted with the Rozenheim inheritance. Helga, on the other hand, is made heir of the Inflares Line. The Shaldyes inheritance was distributed among us. That's all of it I guess.**"

Dumbledore scrutinized him for a moment before replying, "**You do know that the Potters are the direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor, right?**"

"**Really? So that makes me his only living heir and that means that I have now in my possession five lordships to claim. Let's see, I already have the Slytherin ring, then there's the Potter ring, the Moonhaven ring, the Gryffindor ring as well as the Sagebryne ring. I see now that I am quite rich. But now, headmaster, do you know about the other heirs?**"

"**I've been waiting for you to ask that particular question, Harry. Well, I have discovered that the Grangers are actually a line of squibs that lived on as muggles ever since the death of the only remaining witch in their family. It seems that they are somewhat descended from the line of Helena Ravenclaw's brother, Aberlain. So basically, your friend Hermione Granger is the only heir to the Ravenclaw Line. As for the Hufflepuff Heir, I believe that Neville Longbottom is to be considered as the most legitimate one.**"

"**Intriguing. Well, I guess I no longer have to wonder where our fortune has been allocated. I hold four, Hermione has two and Neville has the other two. It comes down to it that the Shaldyes Fortune, upon my death, has been specifically used to fund the school throughout the years. So, you asked me that question about my fortune so that I will ask you about the others, correct?**"

"**That would be precise. Now, before I let you go, would you care to tell me what subjects have been taught at Hogwarts during your time as Lord Slytherin? I seems that the curriculum have degenerated as the years went on and I want to at least restore some of it back now that I have one of the great four to give me the information I need.**"

"**I guess that it wouldn't hurt to inform you. We have some basic subjects like Etiquette, General Linguistics, Latin, Oratory and Writing. These five are necessary for people to learn in order to be able to acquire satisfactory jobs. Then we have the core subjects such as Astronomy, Charms, Defense, Dueling, Herbology, History, Magical Theory, Potions and Transfiguration. These are taught to give some useful knowledge about being witches and wizards. Then we also offered some electives like Arithmancy, care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Healing, Magical Crafting, and the Study of Ancient Runes. Those who have the skills to perform in these classes were taught all they have to know and were made to research other facts that we may have overlooked. That's all about the original curriculum that we've offered.**"

"**Fascinating! I may not be able to suggest the return of the basic subjects that you've enumerated but re-establishing subjects like Dueling, Magical Theory, Healing and Magical Crafting as either a core subject or an elective may be possible.**"

"**Is that so? Then, I'm glad to be of service.**"

"**Thank you, again but if you would, what is Magical Crafting all about?**"

"**As the subject implies, it is creating anything and imbuing it with magical properties. But unlike the end-products that are usually produced through today's means, Magical Crafting is creating artefacts that are semi-sentient. For example, wand-crafting is a branch of magical crafting for it gives a wizard's wand to have enough power to "sense" its rightful owner. During our time, all wizards are supposed to craft for their own wands themselves. Another one is music-crafting. This one involves making instruments to be able to act either as conduits of magic or as a power-source to either offend or defend against a group of people. Weapons crafting is another. You remember Gryffindor's sword? The old boy had goblins made it and then, he used the crafted weapon as a basis to craft blades of similar characteristics. I myself crafted my very own weapons. Lastly, there's Shield crafting. It's exactly the opposite of weapons crafting. It is about how a magical entity could create different types of protection that are geared towards a specific type of danger. At the same time, they can also be used to create shields for general attacks but these ones are not as strong as a specified shield. All shields come in different form, depending on its crafter. All in all, those are what the students learned in Magical Crafting. There are other branches but they are quite inconsequential and tedious to teach to a large group.**"

"**I see that it's quite useful as a subject. Well, I have so much to think about and prepare for the next school year. I'll see you later, my boy.**"

"**Thank you for a very enlightening conversation, Professor Dumbledore. I'll take my leave now.**" With their goodbyes said, the young wizard stood up and went down the tower. He decided to go to his dormitory to check on his things and began to plan for a trip to Diagon Alley.

-x-x-x-

As he was walking through one of the winding corridors headed towards the left wing of the castle, he suddenly came face-to-face with none-other-than Draco Malfoy. The blond aristocrat stiffened for a moment before entering into a relaxed posture representative of every pureblood child. He sneered at the boy in front of him before saying haughtily, "**Potter, are you sure you can afford to walk around the school without your glasses? We sure don't want the "Great Savior of the Wizarding World" to die because he failed to see where he's going.**"

Harry, now noticing that he hadn't wore his glasses during his meeting, cursed silently at himself for being careless. Inwardly, he was thinking up plans as to how to avoid a major confrontation while outwardly, he is giving Malfoy, who was getting perturbed by the obvious lack of violent reaction, a cool look filled with consternation. After a while, he finally answered his year-mate, "**It's seems that I no longer have a need for them so I opted to leave my glasses back at the infirmary, Malfoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am heading towards my dormitory for I have a trip to arrange.**"

"**Why? Can't wait to see your dear fans at Diagon Alley? Eh, Potter.**" The blond continued to taunt. However, he was stunned by the brunette when he was suddenly told, "**My business in the alley is my own but if you wish it, you could join me in my** **venture.**"

Malfoy could only gape in bewilderment at his rival's response. He was so shocked that he failed to notice that he became somewhat slack-jawed. He was snapped into attention when Harry asked him formally, "**So, Malfoy, are you going to accompany me today? After all, I don't think that you appreciate being cooped up in this place for so long without any form of reprieve.**" Never before had this happened to him. He, Draco Malfoy, is in a quandary. He could choose to decline the offer since he and Potter were not friends or he could accept it and show the wizarding world that he is affiliated in some form to their hero in order to boost his family's reputation, but it will also ruin his reputation in Slytherin and make him look like a big suck up. Choices, choices, choices...

As if sensing his thoughts, Harry told him offhandedly, "**I am going to wear glamour to hide myself from the public eye so you don't have to worry about your family reputation or your own. And as for us not being friends, it's not like I'm asking you as friend. I just thought that you might want to go out for some time without any adult supervision. So what's you answer.**" The pureblood was a bit peeved by the offhand response but nevertheless, he began to weigh the pros and cons of coming with the boy hero. Finally, he gave a hesitant nod along with a curt, "**I am going to inform my godfather of this** **expedition** **so you'll have to meet me at the Great Hall with an hour. Don't you dare make me wait.**" Harry inclined his head sideways and answered, "**Don't worry about something so trivial, Malfoy. I guess I'll see you in an hour.**" With that, the reincarnated Slytherin walked off towards his dormitory wondering why he actually invited his rival to go with him.

-o-o-o-

Draco, on the other hand, retraced his steps and stalked off towards the dungeons. He entered his godfather's office and waited for the man to appear from the other side of the room. As soon as the man came out, he immediately retold about his newest encounter with the Potter heir. As soon as he ended his tale, Severus Snape eyed him inspected him for any trace of a lie before saying, "**You may go, Draco but be sure to always be cautious.**"

"**I'm always cautious, Uncle Severus. You need not worry about me. However, I am wondering about Potter's sudden change in behaviour. He has been so civil today when he usually flies off the bat every time I make a remark about him or his group of friends. Do you know anything about it?**" The young man said in quick succession. Severus looked deep in thought but he answered his godson truthfully, "**I do not know about the reason of this sudden change in Potter, Draco. But I know that he is somewhat calmer now than he was before. It is as if he was turned from being a reckless Gryffindor into someone with one of the basic traits of a Slytherin. Yesterday, I almost expected that he'd blew up in front of my colleagues but he surprised me when he replied at my snide remarks calmly and honestly. And if you really want to know, I suggest that you observe him for now.**"

"**Okay, I will use this opportunity to observe him. Very well, I have to change into something more suitable. See you later, Uncle Severus.**"

"**Later then.**" Severus replied before heading towards his personal laboratory.

-x-x-x-

In the Gryffindor dormitory, Harry was checking all of his belongings. When he was satisfied that his books from first to fifth year, any extra literary paraphernalia, his Firebolt, his father's invisibility cloak, the marauders map and his wand were all accounted for, he began to transfigure one of his cousin's cast-off into some suitable robes. He was thinking of fixing his fortune at Gringotts and then ordering a new wardrobe for himself. Now that he remembered the ways of the elite, he realized that he could no longer allow himself to look so shabby compared to his peers. He had to make them respect him not only because he was a powerful wizard but because he himself was a wizard to be respected. He planned to visit the Grangers and the Longbottoms to inform Hermione and Neville of their inheritance in the form of a bank inquiry for a search for the rightful owners of those fortunes. With his plans in place, Harry took a shower and began to change into his transfigured robes.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Greetings to all readers,

I am Kyuubi04 and I am writing this story due to a sudden inspiration about Harry being the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin.

From this chapter, I have indicated that Harry is going to be rich as well as influential. This is not to make him unbelievably powerful but to give him the ability to do some of things that are going to happen in the future.

As for his powers, he is a soul mage and has an affinity for darkness so it is safe to say that he's going to be strong. But his strength also has a downside to it for he cannot use them extensively or he will suffer from magical backlash, depletion or exhaustion like what happened to him in the first chapter.

He is going to further his friendship with Hermione and Neville because the Salazar part of him thinks that it's the only way to reconnect to his friends.

As for his plan at Gringotts, I would say that he will ask the goblins to do this fake inquiry in order to keep the public from knowing the true extent of his influence.

I would say this now; the only ones who will know that he is the reincarnation of Salazar would be Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus for he the first already realized it while he will have to tell the other to as they are his guardians. Draco, Hermione, and Neville may or may not know in the near future.

As for Ginny and Ron, here's the gist of the reason for their attitude:

Ron will once again be jealous of his friend's fame. And since this time, Harry actually know how he did it, Ron won't have the opportunity to take back his actions unlike in Goblet of Fire.

Along with reason number 1, since he won't be able to alter his actions, he'll have no choice but to continue acting like a prat. He may or may not be redeemable.

Also, I think that he is a very shallow friend if he could be swayed by the public opinion against his own friend.

Ginny, on the other hand, already has a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived even before she met Harry so it becomes her obsession to be Mrs. Potter now that Harry is more famous than ever.

She will also be quite desperate so she will act in unacceptable ways that will make the others repulsed or disappointed.

The two would drag in Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown in their vendetta against Harry.

If ever you're wondering why his godfather isn't there at the moment, remember that he too was recovering and since Remus is the only one patient enough to put up with the childish man, he too isn't with Harry at Hogwart. They're worried about the boy but since they know that he is safe with Poppy, Albus and the other professors having an eye on him, they are satisfied to leave him at the school for the moment.

To njferell: Yes, he is indeed Harry with Salazar's memories. But there's also the fact that those memories would surely leave an impact on him so some changes would be inevitable. I hope you find my answer satisfactory.

That's all for now...

Until next time...


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Triad Alley

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 3: **Welcome to Triad Alley

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Harry went down the Great Hall wearing a silver-lined azure robe that he had transfigured from one of his cousin's castoffs. It was covered by a dark green cloak clasped with a silver dragon pin. These, too, were transfigured from another set of his oversized wardrobe. Then, he charmed the pin to warn him if he's in any type of danger. Afterwards, he headed towards the Great Hall and meditated while waiting for his companion.

Draco, on the other hand, was still sifting through his vast wardrobe for something suitable for the outing. He was quite partial to his dark green robe; however, he thought that the silver one with black dragon embroideries made him more elegant and imposing. After much deliberation, he decided to forego elegance in favour of comfort, so he wore his dark green robe and donned his matching silk cloak. He casted a _tempus _charm and saw that he only had ten minutes left to come down to the Great Hall. He walked gracefully towards his destination fully expecting the Gryffindor to make him wait.

His breath was caught, however, when he was met with the sight of the other boy wearing robes befitting a true pureblood. He had always thought that the boy-hero had always garbed himself with those shabby clothes to gain sympathy but now, he was forced to re-evaluate his assessment of the boy for his rival carried himself with the air of relaxed wariness. Contrary adjectives that suited Harry Potter's current posture very well. He berated himself for acting like a fool for a moment. He, then, cleared his throat to get the boy's attention.

Harry was snapped out of his meditative state by the sound and in an instant, his posture changed from relaxed to alert, something that Draco didn't fail to notice. He made sure to subtly scan the area magically before turning to the origin of the sound. He looked over Draco Malfoy and inclined his head in simple appreciation. The blonde wizard chose to look irate with the inspection and snapped haughtily, "**What? Never seen a robe before?**" He was made even more flustered when the other boy only chuckled at his heated response.

After hearing the blonde, Harry, for some curious reason, was reminded of a similar reaction coming from his brother-in-arms, Godric Gryffindor so he decided to give in to his amusement and chuckled much to the blonde's displeasure. He decided to spare the pureblood and replied calmly, "**It's nothing, Malfoy. I am just thinking how long it took you to find something to wear for today's outing.**" The blonde blushed in embarrassment and frustration. Really, how dare that moronic lion insinuate that he's vain! It's preposterous! He's supposed to be the one to state double-edged statements like that. He huffed and told the boy, "**Well, at least I care about how I would look like in public unlike someone I know who constantly wears rags fit for a house-elf.**" He indicated clearly as to whom he was referring to.

At this remark, Harry eyed his companion curiously and answered back, "**Really? I wouldn't have guessed, seeing that I never did wear any other type of robe in public aside from the Hogwarts school uniform and that simple dress robe during fourth year. I wonder... were you spying on me to see what type of clothes I wear inside my robes?**" The Malfoy heir gaped at the second insinuation. He tried to retort but seeing that it's obvious that today was not his day, he decided to end their discussion.

Sensing Draco's retreat, Harry focused on himself, raised the tip of his wand on his forehead, and muttered the incantation _glamourie incantatem_. In an instant, the emerald-eyed boy was engulfed in his magic. After a brilliant flash, there now stood a silver-haired teen with a light tan accentuated by the light colour of his robes and toned finely by his dark cloak in place of the elegant whiteness of the former brunette's figure. His scar was notably absent as well. To Draco Malfoy, the young man in front of him still possessed the strong presence of a pureblood wizard but without the inherent grace of his original form. Instead, it was replaced by an elegant maturity of a noble lord. He swivelled emerald-turned-sapphire eyes on his year-mate and spoke calmly, "**Malfoy, I would like you to remember now, that while using this face, I am Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven, the last living heir of the Most Honourable and Ancient House of Moonhaven. Do you understand me?**"

Draco was affronted by the last statement so he replied in a sneer, "**Come now, Potter. Do you really think that I am an addle-brained twit that cannot even understand your meaning? If you are only going to insult me, then I guess I don't have to accompany you in this trip of yours.**"

Harry blinked at him and remarked apologetically, "**Sorry, Malfoy. I do not mean to insult but to make sure that I made myself clear. I have to be sure that you won't slip anything in case some rabid paparazzi are lurking in the street. I, for one, do not want to get mauled by the public.**"

The blonde conceded after giving the disguised teen a derisive snort. As he got over the insult, he realized that not only did his companion used an extinct family as a cover but he also made use of said family's characteristic sapphire eyes as part of his glamour. He knew from several pictures compiled in every pureblood family that the eyes were almost a carbon copy of the one's belonging to the last member of the most powerful family since the time of the founders. He decided to take a chance and queried, "**Potter, you do know that the Moonhavens have been gone for a thousand years now, right? Every pureblood knows that it's very much extinct so no one's going believe that kind of cover story.**"

At this, the boy-who-lived quirked his mouth in obvious amusement, "**Who ever said that is very much a liar, dear Malfoy, for Marianne Moonhaven already had an heir to pass her fortune to even before she died.**"

"**What! Do you mean to tell me that one of the legendary bloodlines akin to the founders' line still exists? Are you pulling my leg, Potter?**" Draco exclaimed in shocked. He couldn't believe it. The Moonhavens are considered to be powerful but hadn't their line ended when its head underwent with the battle against the demons? It simply cannot be. Potter must be lying. He must be!

Harry's eyes glittered now. He resisted the urge to laugh out loud at the expression on the blonde's face and instead, he replied, "**I pull your leg not, Malfoy. Lady Marianne chose an heir not of her blood to pass on the legacy of her line. How do you think did my mother become such a powerful witch? Surely, you don't believe that a Muggle-born can actually acquire such power in seven years time. There may be talented ones from the lot but the strength of one's magic only increases like that if it was gifted with the essence of a magical inheritance.**" Even though he fibbed about the Evans being connected in some way to his mentor, Harry hadn't lied about Lily being a pureblood. He had found out last year during one of his sporadic trips to the library that his mother came from a line of squibs branching from a minor pureblood line. At that time, it finally made sense to him why his Aunt Petunia hated magic so much.

He turned back to the incredulous blonde and added, "**My mother came from a line of squibs that branched from a very minor pureblood line, Malfoy.**"

"**How do I know that you're not lying to me, Potter? And where did you get such outrageous information? **" Draco asked sceptically.

The reincarnated teen sighed, getting tired of the conversation, and replied coolly, "**First, I won't gain anything in lying. Second, I do know that there's a library in Hogwarts that has books about almost every topic that is not banned by the ministry. Third, I do believe that it's already half-past nine so I think it is best for us to leave now. And fourth, it's Moonhaven now, **_**Draco**_**.**" He purposely purred his rival's name to further rile him up and as expected, Draco looked slighted at the sudden use of his name without his permission, especially when it is uttered provokingly.

Considering his options, the young aristocrat realized that if he pursued the argument, it would most likely take up more of their time needlessly. So he opted to let it go with a sarcastic question, "**And how would we get there? Surely, you have already thought of a means of transportation, **_**Moonhaven**_**?**" He spat the name insultingly in hopes to goad his archenemy but to his disappointed the teen didn't give it any mind.

Harry, or Gerald, as he was to be called while in glamour, said, "**Why, we go to Hogsmeade and either floo to Diagon Alley from the Three Broomsticks or call the Knight Bus, of course.**" And he said it like it was the most obvious thing to do. At this remark, Draco sputtered at the sheer stupidity of his question. He scolded himself for losing his calm over something so seemingly trivial now that he thought of it. He followed the now leaving Gryffindor and the two headed towards Hogsmeade Village.

Draco told his companion that they should just use the floo since the Knight Bus was such an uncomfortable means of transport. Harry agreed so they entered the Three Broomsticks in order to use its fireplace. As they entered, the patrons turned their heads the sight of the two. Others were even giving wolf-whistles to show their appreciation. Draco sneered at them while Harry spoke with Madam Rosmerta to access the floo network. The pub-owner nodded and gave them some floo powder to use.

After his conversation, Harry turned to Draco and said softly, lacing his voice with a slight accent, "**Draco, would you mind if we floo to the Leaky Cauldron instead of Diagon Alley?**"

Caught off guard, Draco only gave a hesitant nod and said remembering to use the false name, "**Sure, Gerald, I don't mind it all. But why exactly would you there?**"

"**I am planning to rent a room there before I return to my family home to finalize something with the ministry,**" was the reply.

With that said the two flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. For the first time, Harry Potter emerged from the fireplace with grace. As he stepped out to speak with the innkeeper, Draco came out as elegantly as he did. After Harry finished his business with Tom, the two set out to visit Gringotts Bank to acquire some money for their trip.

The two chose to visit their vaults separately, giving Harry the chance to perform his business with the goblins as quietly as possible. Draco told him that he'd head out first so as to visit the apothecary as soon as he came back from his personal vault. He also told the other boy to meet him at Flourish and Blotts in an hour or two. He disdainfully remarked at him, "**You don't have to wait for me, Gerald. I'll be heading to the apothecary as soon as I finish grabbing some money. Just meet me at Flourish and Blotts in an hour or so.**" When asked why he didn't want him to join, Harry only received, "**I just don't want you to damage the ingredients in your ignorance.**" The now silver-haired teen pushed down the scathing remark that he's about to make for the insult thinking that as far as his companion was concerned, he was a dunce in potions who barely scraped passing the subject. He agreed with a nod, not trusting his own lips at the moment. After getting his agreement, Draco headed to his vaults.

Choosing to move on with his business, he approached the goblin that he recognized as Griphook and said +**Greetings, Griphook. Could you please tell Ragnok that the Soul Keeper is here to speak with him?**+ Surprised at the use of his native language, the goblin nodded and scurried towards the bank manager's office. The other goblins who heard him looked at him in awe and incredulity. They never expected to here a human to know their language. Harry, on the other hand, thanked his master for teaching him the goblin and elfin language. It was certainly quite useful in this type of negotiations where you had to cater the needs of the other party.

After a few minutes, Griphook returned with the affirmation that Ragnok was going to meet with him. He entered a well polished office filled with several cabinets bearing the files of every transaction undertaken by the bank. Testing to see if what he had heard was true, Ragnok spoke in gobbledegook, +**Greetings, wizard. Who are you and what is it that you deemed it necessary to visit me?**+

Harry, realizing the challenged held by the statement, replied in the same language. +**I am Harry James Potter, son of James, son of Lily, Ragnok. My business is to confirm my claims to my inheritance.**+ He said while revealing himself under the glamour.

Satisfied, the goblin reverted back to human speech and said, "**Ah, Mr. Potter. So you are here to claim your inheritance. If that is so then, follow me to the inheritance chamber.**"

"**I presume that you are going to perform an inheritance ritual to verify my claims.**" Harry pondered, earning himself a brief nod.

The wizard followed the goblin to a bright antechamber. At the centre of it, he saw an obsidian basin along with an onyx ritual blade. He recognized the craftsmanship for a creation of Master Randolfe Rozenheim and marvelled at the fact that it was still as beautiful as it was first created. Ragnok made him raise his right arm over the basin, and now that he looked at it, he noticed that it had some runes used to recognize, reveal, and verify the origin of a person through blood. He smirked as he felt the master goblin make a cut on his arm. He wondered how the creature would react to finding out about the span of his fortune and influence. He allowed three drops of his blood to drop on the basin before he magically healed his arm.

After receiving the drops of blood, the basin glowed white and after a few moments, it spewed a piece of parchment where everything that he inherited was listed. Ragnok took the parchment to scan it. His eyes bulged slightly and Harry silently applauded him for maintaining a tight control on his expression though it was obvious that he was stunned.

These were the things written on the parchment:

Harry James Potter – Salazar Siegfried Slytherin (These two names kept on showing alternately)

Family Membership Claims:

House of Potter – direct descendant

House of Gryffindor – direct descendant

House of Ravenant - direct descendant

House of Sagebryne – claimed through House of Gryffindor

House of Slytherin – link unknown

House of Moonhaven – claimed through House of Slytherin

Inheritance Claims:

House of Potter – one high-security Gringotts vault (familial artefacts only), one mid-level security vault (492,513,812 Galleons, Deeds to five family estates including Potter Manor, Rare books removed from Potter library), one trust fund vault for family dependents (1,907,432 in Galleons, 3,641,368 in Sickles, 643,764 in Knuts) – a seat at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

House of Gryffindor – one special security vault (personal artefacts and rare books of one Godric Gryffindor, all materials in jewel-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of jewel-crafting), one high-security vault (familial artefacts, 672,345,190 in Galleons, 124,096,478 in Sickles, 971,435 in Knuts, Deeds to Gryffindor Estate and Godric's Hollow) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

House of Ravenant – one mid-level security vault (398,145 in Galleons, 480,974 in Sickles, 108,378 in Knuts, Rare books on charms, Deeds to The Haven) – no seat at the Wizengamot

House of Sagebryne – one special security vault (all materials in wand-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of wand-crafting), one high-security vault (490,124,532 in Galleons, 280,579,684 in Sickles, 975,155 in Knuts, Deeds to Sage's Haunt) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

House of Slytherin – one special security vault (personal artefacts and rare books of one Salazar Slytherin, Journals of Salazar Slytherin, all materials in weapons-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of weapons-crafting) – one high security vault (329,716,397 in Galleons, 58,248,124 in Sickles, 9,365,187 in Knuts, Deeds to Slytherin Castle and Hogwarts Castle) – two seats at the Wizengamot (occupied)

House of Moonhaven – one special security vault (all materials in music-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of music-crafting), one high security vault (812,559,135 in Galleons, 456,234,123 in Sickles, 236,577 in Knuts, Deeds to Moonhaven Manor and Angel Loft) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

As Harry looked in on the parchment, his eyes goggled at the stupendous amount of money he inherited. He should have thought that this would happen, seeing that the vaults of the four legends were still earning during these years. He sighed and asked the stunned goblin, "**Do I have to wait for another year to claim them or not?**"

Snapped out of his thoughts, Ragnok tried to regain his composure and answered, "**Have you, by any chance, claimed lordship over one of these Houses, Mr. Potter? If so, then you would be able to claim it all now as you are already an emancipated minor.**"

"**So, since am already the Lord of Slytherin House, then I can already claim them now?**" He clarified.

"**Yes. You only have to try to wear the family ring and if you're found worthy, then you'll be recognized as that family's lord. Although, if you fail, I do not know what would happen.**" Ragnok replied.

"**Very well, could you please bring to me the family rings of all six houses. The Slytherin ring should be in there since I opted not to wear it much in public.**" He said silently thanking his foresight of leaving his family ring during his escapades out of Hogwarts territory.

The master goblin nodded and motioned him to return to the previous room. Ragnok summoned another goblin and ordered it to fetch the family rings of the families stated on the inheritance claims of harry Potter.

After a few minutes, the goblin returned with six velvet boxes with the family crest of each engraved on the top of the boxes.

Harry immediately took the Slytherin ring and wore it without hesitation. The ring flashed green to show its acceptance of its , he took it off to replace it with the Potter ring and the same thing happened. He took the rings in this order, House of Ravenant, House of Gryffindor, House of Sagebryne, and House of Moonhaven. The first two didn't give him trouble but the last two did. Upon wearing them, he felt the ancient magic on them scan his soul before glowing orange then green.

Smiling at his small success, Harry asked Ragnok if he could be given something to allow him access to his money without the need to visit the bank. He was, then, given a platinum card that would serve as a debit card whenever he wanted to purchase something. He was given six, one for every house. He gave five of the rings to be returned to the proper vaults while keeping the Moonhaven ring saying, "**Since, I'm going to disguise myself as a Moonhaven, it is best that I take this ring with me as proof.**" He replaced his glamour and he was back to being a silver-haired teen.

He was about to take his leave when he remembered, "**Ragnok, may I ask you to assist me in something?**"

Not wanting to disappoint the rich teen, he replied using the title that he was presenting at the moment, "**What can I do for you, Lord Moonhaven?**"

"**I would like you to write to one Neville Longbottom and one Hermione Granger to have them come here at Gringotts to try a test for an inheritance claim. I want it to be thought of as an offer to every wizarding child of age sixteen. Also, I do not want any mention of my name, just in case. Lastly, have them believe that those who have taken the test are not allowed to spoke of it with others due to some magical restriction. Can you do that?**" He asked in a cool voice, challenging the goblin to answer negatively.

Ragnok, noting the challenge for what it was, nodded in ascent and told him in a business-like tone unlike the one he used before, "**I assure you, Lord Moonhaven, such a task is probable for Gringotts to undertake. Just allow me some time to fix the necessary paperwork in case those two decide to look for some legal documentation. Would you mind if I invite other children who have some inheritance claims to participate in it?**"

"**Not really, the only reason I want you to do this is because I don't want those two to suspect my involvement in it. I, for one, would like it if it is never discovered that I have already claimed my own inheritance.**" He replied calmly, assuming the stance of a pureblood out for a shopping spree.

The goblin nodded again and said, "**If that's your reason, then, we won't have to deal with any problem at all. Thank you for conducting your business with Gringotts, Lord Moonhaven.**"

The new Lord gave a slight nod to show his agreement and answered, "**I am glad for your assistance, Ragnok. For now, I must leave; my companion will meet with in no less than fifteen minutes.**"

With that said, Harry left the bank carrying on him his cards as well as wearing the ring on his left hand. He glided within the throng of people and headed towards the bookstore to wait for his companion.

-x-x-x-

Draco Malfoy was confused. He didn't know what to think about Harry Potter. During their short banter at the Great hall, he realized that never did the other boy raise his voice in anger or irritation. In fact, it was he who lost his cool demeanour. It seemed to him that the boy changed from being an ill-tempered Gryffindor into a cool-headed Slytherin in an instant.

He was mulling over what had happened today in an attempt to find the reason for this odd behaviour of his rival. First, as he was roaming the castle without fear of being given detention, he met with the boy. He found him slightly off without his glasses, so he taunted Potter about it. He expected his rival to retort angrily, but instead, he gave him a good enough reason for his lack of articles. Second, when he was hoping to get a rise from the boy by insinuating that he probably wanted to flaunt himself to the public, he was given an invitation to accompany the brunette instead. Sure, he didn't know what made him really agree to the invite but he assumed that he was somewhat curious about the change in the boy. He even told his godfather about it but it seemed that his Uncle Severus didn't know either. And third, he was surprised by the boy's choice in robes. He even used a combination that made him seem like a true-blue elite. He was even more surprised when he used an advance charm to disguise himself. Add to it the fact that he even knew a name known only to highest-ranking pureblood family. He didn't whether to believe the other boy's claim or not but still went on with him.

He knew that it was rude to leave his companion like that, but he really had to think things through without Potter's presence to influence his thoughts. So he used his lack of confidence in Potter's skills in treating potions ingredients properly as an excuse to go alone to the apothecary. And since Potter didn't seem to mind, he added that they were to meet at Flourish and Blotts within an hour. He was sure that with that length of time, he'd be able to come up with his next move.

So here he was, walking inside the store absently choosing all the best ingredients in the different shelves as he thought about Potter and his future actions towards the boy. Upon reaching the shelf containing bottles of powdered moonstone at the farthest end of the shop, he finally came to the conclusion of hanging out with Potter and being civil to him in order to satisfy his curiosity.

He looked at the time and upon seeing the he only had seven minutes left, he decided to pay for his purchases and set out towards the bookstore.

-o-o-o-

Inside the shop, Draco saw Harry, rather his disguised self, reading through books about the newest potions. He was so inconspicuous that Draco wouldn't had noticed him if he weren't specifically looking. He silently approached the engrossed boy and tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately noticed that although Harry hadn't move, his body was alert and was only anticipating an attack to defend himself from.

So, Draco said, "**Are you always this tense around people, Gerald?**" He even remembered to use the boy's fake name. Harry immediately relaxed and donned a soft smile, "**Only in unfamiliar places, Draco.**" He closed the book that he was reading and grabbed the others beside him before heading towards the counter.

When he raised his hand, Draco noticed the ring with the very familiar crest on his rivals left finger. He unconsciously recalled their conversation about it and realized that the other boy wasn't lying. He watched in fascination as the blue-eyed boy procured a card to pay for his purchase.

As they stepped out of the shop, Draco asked the other boy, "**What did you buy?**"

Harry replied nonchalantly, "**Hmm... Let's see. There's 'Potions of the New Century: An Update of Today's Most Notable Potions by Marius St. Andrews', 'Useful Spells to Furnish Your Household by Melanie Garnet', and 'Twenty Thousand Wards and Rituals to Protect Your Home by Selene Ornaf' How about you, what did you get?**"

Upon listening to the list, Draco added another mental note about the discrepancy of Harry's attitude towards books in general. When he was asked, he replied casually, "**Well, I bought some of the ingredients that I have used up during my experiments with my godfather.**"

His rival hmm-ed at him and asked out of the blue, "**Care to grab some lunch before we proceed to some serious shopping? We could go back to the Leaky Cauldron or we could head to Leisure Expo at Triad Alley to visit one of its restaurants.**"

Draco was baffled, he didn't know about Triad Alley and his confusion showed through his expression.

"**Don't tell me that you haven't realized that there was a magical gate near Ollivanders that leads to another alley. Surely you knew that there is another settlement here apart from Diagon Alley and Knockturne Alley.**" Harry said to him incredulously.

Draco was about to retort when he heard familiar voices calling him. He turned to see Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and Theodore Nott approaching them.

"**Hello there, Blaise, Pansy, Theo. How are you guys doing?**" He greeted.

"**We're fine Draco. We were wondering earlier where you went since Professor Snape said that you went out with Potter. Really, Draco, what would you want with the Golden Boy?**" Theodore asked with a sneer of disgust at the thought of his friend accompanying the boy with a hero-complex.

He surreptitiously turned to see his companion's expression to find it devoid of emotion. He replied haughtily seeing that some on-lookers were already eavesdropping on their conversation, "**Theo, you must have misheard my godfather. It is true that I have company but it surely is not Saint Potter.**" He released a sigh when the gossip-mongers returned to their own business.

The other three, finally noticing the disguised Harry, looked at him in question. Pansy Parkinson simpered at Harry while trailing a hand on the boy's chest, "**Draco dear, would you care to introduce us to this lovely friend of yours?**"

Draco shook his head and said, "**Drop the act Pansy, he won't fall for it.**" Pansy only gave and "**Oh,**" before saying in a normal tone of voice, "**So Mr. Pretty-boy, do you have a name or are you just another no-name pureblood trying to get into my brother's good graces?**"

Harry raised an eyebrow noting that both Blaise and Theodore stiffened in preparation in case he gave a wrong answer. He looked at Pansy and inclined his head, re-assessing the girl before replying in a suave voice, "**Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven, at your service, Miss.**"

Blaise interrupted and directed a question at him, "**When you said Moonhaven, did you mean "THE" Moonhaven? I thought that the line was dead.**"

"**Indeed, I do.**" With that Harry allowed them to get a glimpse of his ring. "**Now that I have already introduced myself, would you mind telling me your names?**"

The three blushed in embarrassment so Draco took it to task to introduce his friends, "**Gerald, I want you to meet my friends. The girl is Pansy Parkinson. The dark boy beside him is Blaise Zabini while the pale brunette is Theodore Nott. They are going to Hogwarts as my fellow Slytherins.**"

Amused by the semi-formal introduction, he gave them a short bow and said with a charming smile, "**It's a pleasure to meet you. Would you three be so kind as to accompany us to Triad Alley to grab some lunch?**"

The other two boys replied, "**Triad Alley, what's that?**" while Pansy said in a definite tone, "**Sure, we would appreciate it.**"

The three Slytherins looked at her, so she said in exasperation, "**Really, you three. Triad Alley is a wizarding settlement made in conjunction with Diagon and Knockturne Alleys. It is divided into a Leisure Expo, a Residential Park, and a Crafters Paradise. It's the shopping paradise. In there, you can find different jewelleries, robes, gowns, dresses, beauty products, restaurants, and others.**"

The three chuckled and said, "**No wonder we don't know about it. It's a place made for witches.**" "**Not really, Ms. Parkinson was only describing Leisure Expo and not the other two.**" Harry added in amusement, "**Now, can we go as it is already noon?**" The others nodded so he led them towards Ollivanders and approached the gate not far from it. He tap the red cornerstone with a runespoor etched on it using his hand to reveal the hidden entrance.

As they entered, Harry said melodramatically, "**Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Leisure Expo, first front of Triad Alley. On the far left, you will see the residential park where several socialites live while on the far right, is the entrance to Crafters Paradise where you can have any artefact possible commissioned with a price.**"

With that, he led his companions to a the restaurant called, "La Magica Italiana" where they ate some Italian delicacies for their lunch.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Wooh, finally... It's quite surprising for me to be able to consume fifteen pages just for one chapter.

I really am deviating from my usual style but it's okay, I'm really on a roll today....

If you find Harry's inheritance to be large please remember that it's not like he'll be able to use them all in a jiffy... The artefacts probably won't be mentioned aside from something that I might come up with. The only things that he'll be able to make use of are the manuscripts and some legal documents...

Also, I don't think that it's proper to combine the Family rings so I made them separate from each other.

If you find my use of bold letters uncomfortable, then I apologize but it is my way to separate conversations from narratives... maybe I'll remove them but for the meantime, they'll have to stay...

Flames are quite unwelcome since if you don't like my story then don't read it. But it will be helpful if you give some constructive criticism... reviews are highly appreciated...

As for Draco, Blaise, and Theo not knowing about the alley, I hope that Pansy's description of the place justified it for a bit. As for Harry knowing, he probably learned of it during his time for although, it's already a shopping bazaar, it still possesses some "manly" essence that draws shoppers to visit. Harry probably only knows some of the oldest shops there and not the new ones.

Finally, I really wish that you'd like this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4: Of Wardrobes and Amulets

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 4: **Of Wardrobes and Amulets

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

As soon as the group finished their lunch, the Slytherin boys decided to explore the alley. Draco, Blaise, and Theo were very curious about it that they almost couldn't hide their excitement. Thinking that it's best to split up, Harry suggested, "**Would you guys mind if I left you to explore the alley while I set out to buy some robes?**" He said this so casually that the others hadn't even seemed to take any offence. However, Draco, somehow, felt disappointed that he won't be able to examine the other boy further.

Although the boys agreed to explore without Harry, Pansy Parkinson had a different idea. She told her companions, "**I think, I'm going to accompany our new friend. I know for sure that you'll need a critical eye to examine your outfits.**" She said the last part towards Harry, who only smiled at the offer, not at all intimidated by the firm tone.

After leaving the restaurant, the group separated from each other and headed towards different directions. Draco, Blaise, and Theo went to explore Crafters' Paradise while Pansy and Harry roamed the Expo to look for some noteworthy shops.

-x-x-x-

Pansy dragged the disguised boy to some of the shops, hoping to put as much distance between Draco's group and themselves as soon as possible. Harry, knowing her intent, allowed himself to be pulled away by the girl. When they reached a very posh-looking robe shop near the entrance of the alley, Pansy rounded on him, hands on waist looking very much like Molly Weasley during her lecture mode, and asked with a hiss in an attempt to intimidate the boy, "**Now, Moonhaven, I'm going to ask you something and I expect you to answer me truthfully. Am I clear?**"

Harry, thinking it best to play along, gave a short nod while wearing a soft smile, "**What would you like to know, Miss Parkinson?**"

"**Where and when did you meet Draco?**" She questioned looking for some sort of dishonesty from the other boy.

"**We've met recently during my visit with Headmaster Dumbledore.**" He replied pertaining to his last meeting with the old wizard.

"**And when exactly is that?**" She pushed.

Weighing his options, Harry decided to speak a part of the truth, "**Just today actually.**"

"**And you're already on first name basis with him?**" she uttered incredulously, forgetting that she was supposed to be trying to intimidate the boy.

"**Actually, it is more of me teasing him using his name that started it, he only retaliated in kind.**" He replied, chuckling with amusement when he remembered how he said Draco's name quite provokingly.

"**I see. So, tell me, how exactly did you meet?**" Pansy continued.

"**Let's see. I was leaving the headmaster's office when I collided with him. We introduced ourselves to each other. He didn't believe me when I said my name so I invited him to join me to prove it.**" He replied casually but inside, he was scolding himself for such an oversight. He should have known that his connection with the Malfoy heir would be questioned.

The girl was still unconvinced about something so he asked, "**What is it really that you want to know about me?**" He decided to be blunt since he cannot afford any mistakes. He didn't want the girl to discover his true identity so he had to paddle-back a bit.

"**Nothing much really, I just want to know your intentions about befriending Draco Malfoy?**" She said, a bit put out by the bluntness of the boy.

"**Intentions? Hmm, if you're worried that I intend to do something nefarious, then, don't worry. In truth, I just wanted to avoid our confrontation to escalate into something nasty so I invited him to cool down.**"

"**Is that so? Then, I guess, you're okay.**" Pansy finally said.

Harry smirked a bit and replied teasingly, "**Now that my interrogation is over, I guess we can actually start buying some clothes now?**"

The pureblood blushed a bit; embarrassed that she actually forgot what they're supposed to do in light of learning something about the boy. She gave a flustered nod and dragged his companion inside the shop called, "Magical Wardrobe for Witches and Wizards". Inside, they were met by a blonde female who, they supposed, was one of the store's attendants.

She greeted them courteously, "**Welcome to Magical Wardrobe for Witches and Wizards. I am Relena, how may I help you?**"

The two customers returned her greeting with a nod. Pansy told the other witch, "**My friend here seems to be in need of a new wardrobe so we'll be looking in to your designs.**" The attendant eyed Harry with admiration but when she felt someone glaring at her, she realized that the young man had come with someone she supposed was his girlfriend. She gave a disappointed sigh before assuming a smiling facade.

Harry, amused by the silent war between the two witches, spoke smoothly earning the stares of all the female customers and glares of the male ones in the store, "**May I inquire as to the materials used in your designs?**"

Almost swooning over him, Relena said in slightly high-pitched voice meant to impress, "**All our robes are made from various textiles like wool, cotton, and silk. We even have some cloaks made from fur of animal bred to ensure top-quality products.**"

Harry nodded understandingly and replied, "**Well, I would like to see your designs so I could choose what to order.**" He turned to Pansy and said deciding to play along with the attendant's imagination, "**Pansy dear, would you amuse yourself by sifting through their products while I choose something for myself? I believe it's going to take a while.**"

Catching on to him, Pansy gave a sweet smile and answered almost flirtatiously, "**Of course, love. But you have to bring me to the jewellery store later.**"

"**Sure, dear.**" He replied suavely making the eavesdroppers blush at the insinuation in his voice.

After hearing their conversation, the attendant hurriedly went to the backroom to fetch copies of their designs while sporting a blush herself. Upon her return, Harry looked into the robes to see whether something would suit his tastes. He didn't have a problem having himself measured in his disguised form since he made sure to maintain his body's figure while he modified his facial structure, hair-colour, eye-colour, and skin tone.

He chose a formal robe hem-stitched with leaf embroideries; a simple dress robe with cuffs on the sleeves and an overcoat embroidered with a blooming rose at the central back; two casual robes, one was a simple everyday robe while the other was filled with lightning bolts on the edges and a phoenix on both sleeves, he assumed that the design was based on the idea of his scar and the mascot of the Order, and found it amusing to wear; two cloaks, one simple and hooded, while the other was without the hood and filled with embroidered lines meant to make it look elegant; and, some shirts to wear inside his robes. He decided that he would have to visit Muggle London to buy some clothes as well since the store didn't sell underpants like boxers and other muggle clothing that he preferred as Harry.

He called the attendant and pointed out his selection, "**I would like to have these designs produced in all shades of blue and green as well as in black and silver. I want the shirts to be made of cotton while all the robes and cloaks are to be made in silk, most preferably acromantula silk. Also, I would like to have six pairs of your finest gloves.**"

The girl looked at him in disbelief thinking that the order was too expensive for someone like him to buy in that number. Noting this, Harry said, "**You need not worry about the payment, just have my order prepared and finished according to my measurement, preferably today.**"

Flustered, the attendant grabbed her measuring tape and measured Harry's size. Once finished, the girl said, "**We have seven shades of blue ranging from dark blue to light blue. We also have five shades ranging from dark green to plain green. Each robe would cost 93 Galleons, 15 Sickles, and 4 Knuts. The cloaks cost 87 Galleons, 5 Sickles, and 24 Knuts each. The shirts cost 43 Galleons, 12 Sickles, and 18 Knuts each as well. The gloves cost 28 Galleons, 9 Sickles, and 13 Knuts each.**" She said the prices expecting to see her customer back down but was rather surprised when she only received a cold glare.

Harry was irritated with the attendant; surely this poor excuse of a witch didn't think that he wouldn't be able to pay. Apparently, the store owner didn't train their employees enough to recognize a lord apart from the regular pureblood heir. Hell, he even flaunted his ring while he was ordering. He glared at the girl and said coolly, "**Just kindly tell me if you do not want me to purchase from your shop because I do not appreciate being looked down upon. Or are you just really this unaccommodating when it comes to your customers?**"

His voice was loud enough to be heard through the whole shop. The rest of the shoppers turned to see what the commotion was all about when they realized that the attractive teen they saw earlier was the one who spoke. They felt his power through his voice and sincerely hoped that the attendant didn't do anything foolish to anger the young man. Some of them even realized that he was a lord of some family when they caught a flash of light from his left hand that was raised to hold the design book offered by the shop.

Even Pansy felt some pity for the poor girl even though she was earlier irritated by the said witch. Shaking her head, she returned to her own shopping, wishing that the girl didn't prove to be much stupid than Pansy thought her to be.

The attendant flushed a bright red. She felt humiliated and at the same time, ashamed upon realizing the error she made. When she felt the power exuded by the boy, rather, by the young man, she took another glance at her customer and saw the ring. She didn't recognize the crest but she understood that it was a symbol of lordship. As it was made obvious to her from the very beginning, she felt stupid about herself for not noticing earlier before she had made a fool of herself.

In hopes of redeeming herself, she tried to be more amiable to Harry as she replied meekly, "**I'm sorry, my Lord. I didn't mean to insult you. I...**"

"**What's going on?**" A thin-framed, bespectacled man asked as he approached the two. The witch was frantic when she saw the store manager's approach. She tried to utter some platitudes to her offended customer but all that came out was a jumble of word, a result of her nervousness.

Harry faced the man and said coolly, smirking inside at the effect of his stunt, "**I was just asking your attendant if your store is always this unaccommodating to the customers, especially to one who is more than willing to pay for the cost of your product, sir.**"

The man looked at the witch for confirmation. The girl nodded nervously, fearing for the worst. He gave a reprimanding look at his employee before facing the cold youth. He said in a sincere tone, "**I deeply apologize for my employee. She is new here and is still inexperienced. If you want to, I will take her place as your attendant.**"

When he saw Harry nod, the manager motioned the witch to leave. He returned his attention to Harry who, in turn, gave his orders. The manager looked into the list and said, "**They will be done by tonight at the earliest, sir.**"

Harry was a bit disappointed at the pronouncement but nevertheless agreed. He told the manager, "**Have them delivered to the Leaky Cauldron under the name of Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven.**" At this, the man nodded, noting the name although he didn't recognize it. He decided to look into some books about the boy's family and see for himself who the powerful youth was.

He led Harry to the counter and said, "**Your order would be 7,264 Galleons, 6 Sickles, and 20 Knuts in all.**"

Harry brought out his card and allowed the witch at the counter to charge his Moonhaven account. With that done, Harry approached Pansy from the far side of the shop.

Upon reaching the girl, harry said, "**I'm done with my business.**" The girl nodded and fetched the robes and dresses that she chose. She was about to pay when Harry prevented him saying, "**A lady should never pay for something if she has a man as her company.**" He said this casually making the female on-lookers to giggle at their interaction. Pansy blushed a bit at that and mumbled a soft "thank you" at him.

With everything done, the two stepped out of the shop and went to search for the others.

-o-o-o-

Draco, Blaise, and Theo walked briskly towards their destination in their excitement. Once they entered the area, the latter two rounded on the former and said at the same time, "**Spill it, Dray.**"

Draco looked at them confusedly making Blaise sigh in exasperation, "**Who's that guy back there? Surely, you obviously didn't expect us not to ask questions?**"

With dawning realization, Draco oh-ed and said, "**You mean Gerald? Well, I met him today and he invited me to accompany him in Diagon Alley.**" He thought that it with be easier to keep things secret if he stuck with some part of the truth.

"**You're kidding, right?**" Theo asked incredulously, not believing that his friend would willingly accompany a stranger after just meeting with him.

"**Not really.**" He said a bit cowed by his friend's aggressiveness.

"**Why, in Merlin's name, did you something utterly stupid?**" Blaise almost shouted at him and continued, "**What if he was a fake and was only trying to get you by acting like a pureblood.**"

Draco cursed himself for his stupidity, silently asking where he had placed his brain today. He looked at his friends and said, embarrassment colouring his face, "**Actually, he may have just invited me to avoid getting into blows with me when I argued with him about that very same reason, Blaise.**"

"**So let me get this straight. You insulted this guy only to get invited by him to Diagon Alley, am I right?**" Theo sarcastically asked.

Recalling the actual event, Draco replied, "**That's it, basically.**"

"**Yeah right. If that's so, then why are you two on first name basis already?**" Blaise questioned.

"**Well, he was teasing me by purring my name so I only retaliated in kind because he doesn't seem to be affected when I insultingly called him by his surname.**" He answered a bit lamely.

The other two stared at him like he grew a second head before shaking their heads ruefully. Blaise said, "**Is this your 'off' day or something? It's the first time I've heard that the "Great Draco Malfoy' got himself beaten in a battle of wits.**" Theo, on the other hand, only said, "**Unbelievable.**"

Draco glared at his friend and stomped angrily towards one of the shops only to be followed by his laughing friends. The shop that he entered was named, "Amulets for All Occasions". As they entered, they were met by a wizened wizard with greying red hair and hawk-like silver eyes. He scrutinized the three teens and sneered, "**I don't have candies for children. Get Out!**"

The boys were taken aback. Theo, being the first one to recover, scowled and remarked, "**How rude. We're only trying to see your shop. It's not like we can't pay for anything in it.**"

The old wizard snorted and replied, "**I don't need your money if you can't even recognize the value of my merchandise. Leave. I don't sell my things to inexperienced teenagers.**" He made a move to push the boys outside when Blaise interefered, "**I apologize if we seem to be inexperienced to your eye, sir. But we are only trying to see if anything from your shop will catch our eyes.**"

The older man smirked at him and said gruffly, "**Such a smooth tongue that you have, lad. You remind of me of another wizard that I've met some years ago. Very well, look until you're satisfied.**"

Blaise gave a soft bow and motioned his friends to make a move. The three spent almost half an hour sifting through the different amulets. They were quite fascinated by the products that they didn't notice their other two companions enter the shop.

-x-x-x-

To hasten their search, Harry allowed his magical sense to look for the most familiar aura that he knew, which means he latched his senses into searching for Draco. They entered the amulet shop when the boy felt a sense of familiarity about the place. He scanned the whole place for anything that might trigger his memories when he noticed the old man hovering over the three Slytherins.

He held on to Pansy and together, they made their way to the other group. "**Have you found anything of interest?**" He said suddenly, stunning the boys. The old man, however, whipped his wand out of his robes and aimed it has throat.

He chuckled at their reaction while the girl giggled earning themselves several glares from their friends. He gave a mock sign of surrender and said, "**Sorry.**" It took a while before the three boys backed down.

Turning his attention to the wand pointed at him, he directed his gaze to the owner of said wand. He raised a slender eyebrow and removed the offending wand away from him. He was about to say something when he felt a tug from one of the glass shelves inside the shop. He searched the entire room for the source and was lead to an emerald necklace. The gem was surrounded by the body of a silver snake coiling itself so that its head was over the emerald in a striking position. The snake itself was covered with tiny sapphires glinting from the reflection of light coming through an open window. The image was completed by a silver chain connected to the snake's tail. He recognized the amulet as the one that Lady Moonhaven gave to him when he was given his title. He had lost it after his death since he never took it from his body.

As he was about to touch it, the proprietor snarled at him, "**Don't touch that, you fool!**"

He gave him a cursory glance but otherwise ignored him. He took the amulet out of its case and surprised the old man for getting it scot-free. "**How?**" the old man whispered breathlessly.

He turned to him, ignoring the curious looks of his companions, and said, "**This is a property of the Moonhaven family created by Master Magoriane Shaldyes for Marianne Moonhaven to be passed down on someone whose prowess she recognized as worthy.**" He excluded the fact that the person he was talking about was the one who earned the title of Soul Keeper. It was the same way with the others. The rest of the founders were also given an amulet to signify their power and the recognition that they received from it. The only thing different was that they were made into various ornaments suited to their personality.

The old man gaped at the words, struck by the teen's knowledge. He made a magical on the boy and was further stunned to recognize his aura. He never thought that someone from a thousand years ago was still walking the earth albeit in a different form. He didn't even notice that the boy was wearing a strong glamour, one that he himself had taught.

Harry noticed the action but put it off as the old man's precaution. He asked, "**How much does this cost?**"

The old man shook his head and said, "**That one is not for sale.**" Before the teen could protest, he continued, "**It's already yours when you touched it. Take it. I have no use for it after all.**"

Harry was shocked by this proclamation that he didn't realize that the old man left him to entertain his companions. He was silently going over the facts that he was presented today.

Meanwhile, Draco and the others were looking at the two curiously. Draco more so than the others, since he knew who the teen really was. They were snapped out of it, however, when the old man turned to them and asked, "**Have you found anything yet?**"

The boys nodded by while Pansy went back to looking over the shop. After some time, all four presented the amulets they found to the owner for some explanation of its use.

Draco's was a chain bracelet filled with diamonds and having an amber stone at the centre. There was a miniscule dragon engraved on the clasp and it was the one that caught his attention. The man said that the amulet was to protect its wearer from those with ill-intents. It was also said that the bracelet reveals to the wearer the true nature of a person that he came in contact with. The only problem was that the wearer must be able to prove his worth to be able to unlock this ability.

Blaise, on the other hand, chose an armband made of gold. It was designed to look like and eagle flying downwards to catch its prey. The eyes of the bird were made of opals while an onyx was crafted into the centre of its back. Upon presentation, the teen learned that the armband was imbued with the magic to help the wearer recognized the nature of wards. In addition, it had the special ability to by-pass said wards if activated.

Theo, meanwhile, selected a bracelet made of bronze. Its central gen was a pink diamond while its chain was filled obsidian making the diamond stand out. When he brought it to the man, he discovered that the bracelet served as a mirror that would reflect any form of mind-altering spells and potions back to its source. At the same time, if he was found worthy, the wearer would be able to allow any person of his choosing to have the same ability whenever he wished.

Pansy had her eyes on a pair of diamond earrings with a single ruby as the central stone. Its design was quite simple and seemed to contradict her flashy attitude at Hogwarts. She learned that through them, she'd be able to know the thoughts of the person she chose and as its special ability, it would allow her to tract down anybody through the use of mental signatures.

The boys paid for their purchase but when Pansy was about to do the same, Harry stopped her again saying that he was only fulfilling his promise back at the store. She blushed when she remembered their act earlier but allowed the boy to pay.

The other three grumbled about Harry being unfair and only paying for Pansy so he said, "**I'll pay for you if, by any chance, you turn yourselves into ladies.**" The boys sputtered before they regained their composure and said a series of "no thanks" before heading out the shop in haste.

As they left, the old man trained thoughtful eyes on Harry thinking that they would meet again. He smiled to himself saying that after living for a thousand years, this was the first time that something interesting had happened.

-o-o-o-

After that first shop, the rest of the group explored the alley and entered different shops until late in the afternoon. They grabbed some snacks before parting ways. Theo, Blaise, and Pansy headed towards their own manors while Harry and Draco went back to Hogwarts.

-x-x-x-

At Hogwarts, Harry removed his glamour, entered his dormitory, shrunk his trunk, and went for another visit with the headmaster. This time, he told the old wizard that he'd be staying at the Leaky Cauldron to finish some business and return to the school within two weeks time. Dumbledore agreed and allowed Harry to by-pass the wards in his office in order to directly floo to the pub. Harry replaced his glamour and took his leave.

He came out of the pub where the innkeeper was waiting for him. He acquired a room and told Tom, "**A package for one Gerald Moonhaven will probably make its way here. Just send it to my room if it does.**" When the pub-owner gave a nod, he tossed three galleons from the coins that he had on him.

After receiving his package, Harry ate some dinner and went to sleep.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

That's all for today...

Can you guess who the old man was and how he came to live for a thousand years...

All of you can have three guesses.... good luck.... Kyuubi04


	5. Chapter 5: Claiming of RR and HH

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 5: **Claiming of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Hermione Granger was happily reading one of the novels that she bought on the muggle bookstore when she heard a tap on the window. She looked up to see an owl bearing an official-looking letter. She allowed it to enter her room and noted the Gringotts seal on the envelope. She opened it and read:

_To Ms. Hermione Jane Granger,_

_Greeting, Ms. Granger,_

_We, at Gringotts, are conducting a test for all available witches and wizards of sixteen. We are hoping to close all stagnant vaults whose owners have vanished through time. This letter is to inform you that you are invited to partake in the said examination in hopes of determining whether you are eligible to inherit one of these vaults. The inheritance is determined through magic so as to ensure that the contents of each vault are given to its rightful heir._

_If you are wondering, everyone from purebloods, half-bloods, and muggle-borns are invited. Should you decide to take the test, just sign your name at the form enclosed in this letter._

_May gold into your hands,_

_Ragnok,_

_Bank Manager_

_Gringotts Wizarding Bank_

She re-read the letter and tried to determine its authenticity. Surely, no muggle-born would be able to inherit something. Maybe it's some type of ploy to further undermine muggle-borns. She scanned the contents of the letter and noticed the form enclosed. Unable to decide what to do, she went down to the living room to find her parents.

Daniel and Jane Granger were lounging on the sofa while watching some noon-time show when they heard their daughter enter. Jane motioned Hermione to sit with them and asked, "**Is there something that you need, dear?**"

Hermione showed them the letter and waited for their input. Upon reading the contents, Daniel told his daughter, "**You should sign it, Hermione.**"

The teen looked at her parent with curiosity and asked why she should sign it, explaining her doubts and suspicions. Her mother shook her head and replied, "**Actually, we have been keeping something from you? We're not exactly muggles but squibs, dear.**"

"**You're joking, right Mom?**" She asked voicing her incredulity about the revelation.

Her father shook his head and explained, "**Haven't you ever wondered once why we easily accepted the idea that you're a witch? Truthfully, we, meaning your mother and me, are squibs. Your mom was disowned when it was realized that she has no magic while I came from a very long line of squibs to the point that we are already considered as muggles. So there's a chance that you are able to inherit something since you are the first witch to be ever born into our family.**"

The girl gave a nod and asked, "**So the reason why Gringotts invited muggle-borns as well is because there is a chance that some of them are just like me?**"

"**That may be their reason, dear.**" Her mother affirmed. Giving a soft sigh, Hermione signed the form and was stunned to see it flash red before it glowed green and receded to show that the fields indicated were already completed. The form was like this:

Name: _Hermione Jane Granger_

Age: _16_

Gender: _Female_

Schedule: _August 5, 10:00 a.m., Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Diagon Alley, London (look for Ragnok)_

Agenda: _Take inheritance test for unclaimed vaults_

Showing the form to her parents, they gave a satisfied nod and told her that they'll escort her to London. She grabbed the letter and the form, and then headed back to her room to continue her reading.

After an hour, another owl came. This time, Hermione received a set of identification card, appointment slip, and clearance form. She placed them in her desk and resumed her reading. She just hoped that she'd meet Harry there. She'd been worried about her friend ever since he entered into a coma four months ago and was hoping that the boy would get better soon.

-x-x-x-

Neville Longbottom was trimming his garden when he heard a warning that signals the coming of a letter. He entered to see for whom it was only to see his grandmother already reading it. When she turned to see Neville, the Longbottom Matriarch motioned the boy to seat in front of him. After sitting, he was abruptly given a form and was told to sign. The parchment glowed red and green. When the light receded, he saw the following written on it:

Name: _Neville Frank Longbottom_

Age: _16_

Gender: _Male_

Schedule: _August 5, 10:00 a.m., Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Diagon Alley, London (look for Ragnok)_

Agenda: _Take inheritance test for unclaimed vaults_

He asked his grandmother about it and only given a scolding and an order to wear his finest robe on August 5th. Used to the dismissive way that his grandmother treats him, the teen stood, gave a nod, and returned to his gardening. When he heard another warning, he decided not to take notice of it and worked happily.

He thought a bit about what happened at the ministry and frowned. He wanted to know how Harry was but no one apart from his guardians and Headmaster Dumbledore was allowed to visit him. He noticed that something was a bit off about the way Harry defeated the Dark Lord and wondered a bit about it. He scowled when he remembered how the aurors acted teens when his friend collapsed. He gave a sigh and willed himself to clear his thoughts of such depressing notions.

-o-o-o-

Harry used his time alone to buy a few more robes, potions ingredients, books, and focus stones. He visited all three alleys in his search. Much to his surprise, he only entered Crafters' Paradise to purchase some materials for weapons and shield crafting.

He was trying to determine how he would present himself at Hogwarts this year. He knew that he couldn't just up and show them a good performance without inviting suspicions. At first, he thought to have the headmaster proclaim that he was still too ill to attend and enter his sixth year as Gerald Moonhaven. But he immediately disregarded the idea thinking that it would also cause people to suspect.

After much deliberation, he opted to maintain his present performance in all classes except for Potions. He just couldn't purposely sabotage his efforts in the subject so he decided to slowly show some improvement on the subject. Since he never removed his glamour during his short vacation, he decided to visit "Wand-Crafters of Time" and buy another wand. He gave up the hope to ever find his original wand but he didn't want to continue using his holly wand either. To him, both wands had become incompatible with him since his personality was no longer the same when he possessed both wands. He would probably craft a second wand of his own but this time, he couldn't afford to lose the time when he could use it to further integrate his disguised self into the society.

To every shop owners in Diagon Alley, he was the charismatic foreign lord who decided to visit England now that a Dark Lord is no longer threatening its safety. In Triad Alley, he was a connoisseur of all crafts. He had helped several shop-owners there to improve their products with the least expenditure. However, to the patrons of Knockturne Alley, he was mysterious entity who knew how to recognize the rare items sold there.

During the fourth day of his stay, most frequenters of all three alleys knew him by face. Even without knowing his name, they felt that he had power and influence. Nobody ever did suspect that he was not what he was portraying himself to be.

-x-x-x-

The 5th of August was willed with anticipation for two persons. Hermione and Neville met with each other when both of their families entered the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione saw the boy and greeted him. Neville returned the greeting when he saw the bookworm drag her parents towards himself and his grandmother. The elders introduced themselves to each other and when they realized that they had the same agenda, they decided to join their groups together.

The two teenagers conversed about their vacation so far. Both wondered about Harry's well-being and showed deep concern about the boy that didn't escaped the adult's notice.

Inside Gringotts, the two met the Weasleys, Notts, Parkinsons, Finnegans, Browns, Patils, Abbotts, and Bones. The teens were summoned one-by-one in order of entrance. All the previous families only found out what they were supposed to know, that they only inherited from their original families. None of them said a word about it although it was obvious that they were disappointed with the results, especially one Ron Weasley who didn't even acknowledge the presence of Neville and Hermione after he came out of the ritual room that Harry had entered before. The rest of the sixth years present left as soon as they received their results.

Hermione was the first to enter. She underwent the usual procedure and much to her surprise, she saw the following:

Hermione Jane Granger

Family Membership Claims:

House of Ravenclaw – direct descendant

House of Rozenheim – claimed through House of Ravenclaw

Inheritance Claims:

House of Ravenclaw – one special security vault (personal artefacts and rare books of one Rowena Ravenclaw, all materials in shield-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of shield-crafting), one high-security vault (familial artefacts, 734,643,123 in Galleons, 254,345,653 in Sickles, 1,343,665 in Knuts, Deeds to Raven's Nest) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

House of Rozenheim – one special security vault (all materials in stone-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of stone-crafting), one high-security vault (familial artefacts, 986,456,445 in Galleons, 985,785,542 in Sickles, 573,232 in Knuts, Deeds to Rozenheim Tower) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

The goblin, who she assumed was Ragnok, warned him not to broadcast her inheritance for such a claim would surely be contested until she was able to claim the lordship of both houses. She left the room in a daze confusing Neville, who entered after her.

Neville underwent the same procedure and was surprised to see the result:

Neville Frank Longbottom

Family Membership Claims:

House of Longbottom – direct descendant

House of Hufflepuff – direct descendant

House of Inflares – claimed through House of Hufflepuff

Inheritance Claims:

House of Longbottom – one high-security Gringotts vault (familial artefacts only), one mid-level security vault (542,356,765 Galleons, Deeds to three family estates including Longbottom Manor, Rare books removed from Longbottom library), one trust fund vault for family dependents (1,232,456 in Galleons, 2,344,323 in Sickles, 454,123 in Knuts) – a seat at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

House of Hufflepuff – one special security vault (personal artefacts and rare books of one Helga Hufflepuff, all materials in ward-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of ward-crafting), one high-security vault (familial artefacts, 423,764,565 in Galleons, 565,434,323 in Sickles, 862,344 in Knuts, Deeds to Badger's Lair) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

House of Inflares – one special security vault (all materials in spell-crafting encased in preservation charms, Manuscripts and Manuals on the specifics of spell-crafting), one high-security vault (familial artefacts, 865,454,566 in Galleons, 565,532,432 in Sickles, 623,344 in Knuts, Deeds to Inflares Manor) – two seats at the Wizengamot (unoccupied)

After reading, Neville was given the same warning. He went out of the room to meet up with his grandmother and the Grangers. Hermione, who finally came out of her daze, invited him to join her to Diagon Alley since her parents allowed her to roam the street while they negotiated with the goblins about her newly-acquired fortune. When he asked his grandmother for permission, the old witch was about to disagree but decided not to when she saw his grandson act openly to the girl. She didn't know her grandson's result but knew that he had somehow acquired something from the Hufflepuff line. She knew that the family was a direct descendant of said founder. She just warned her grandson to return early in the afternoon.

-o-o-o-

With Ragnok, he was chuckling at his office whenever he remembered the faces of the families that came. The inquiry would continue up until the 10th of August but still, he found this day to be very amusing. Despite his remark about their rights being contested, the goblin knew that there was no way to take away the inheritance of Hermione and Neville. He wondered if this was the reason why Harry asked him to bring their attention on their inheritance. He promised himself to thank the young lord for reviving the legendary lines, albeit indirectly, later.

He assumed a stern face when he heard that the Grangers were going to talk to him about the specifics of their daughter's inheritance.

-x-x-x-

The two Gryffindors, despite the warning, began to converse about the result of their inheritance test. They were both stunned by the fact that they inherited something from the founders but didn't even look into the other family names thinking that they were just some minor families that vanished earlier. They were disappointed to see that Harry wasn't there but reasoned that maybe he was scheduled on a different date.

As they were talking with each, they didn't notice that they were about to collide with someone.

-o-o-o-

Harry decided to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies to buy a Firebolt X, the newest and currently fastest line of racing brooms. He was so caught up in looking into the shop window that he didn't notice the persons approaching him. He felt two bodies collide with and thankfully, he didn't fall down. He heard some muffle apologies coming from the ground and turned to see Hermione and Neville.

He was about to greet them when he remembered that he was disguised as a pureblood. So, instead, he offered his hands to help them up. The two took it and mumbled some thanks.

As soon as they are properly standing, Hermione said to him, "**I apologize for colliding with you. We weren't looking on where we're going.**"

Harry inclined his head and replied, "**It matters not if you tell me that you are unharmed, Miss.**"

She blushed and answered, "**I'm fine. I'm Hermione Granger by the way and this is Neville Longbottom.**"

Neville gave a nod of acknowledgement and added, "**I'm sorry as well.**"

Harry brushed off the apology and said aloud, "**I know the Longbottoms but I don't think that I've heard of any Granger before, are you a muggle-born?**"

Hermione winced a "yes" preparing for a round of pureblood bigotry but was pleasantly when he only hmm-ed and said, "**Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottom.**"

Neville looked confused and asked, "**Moonhaven? Where have I heard that name before?**"

Harry smiled a bit at that, making Hermione who saw it gasped when it softened his features that seemed very intimidating before, and told him, "**You may have heard of it along the names of Sagebryne, Rozenheim, Inflares, and Shaldyes. They were quite famous when the family heads fought and defeated the demon invasion a thousand years ago.**"

The two Gryffindors blank-out a bit when they realized that the names that they disregarded as some unknown pureblood families were actually more important than the founders' names. They tried to apologize for their lack of knowledge, Hermione more so because she was supposed to know everything by now when it comes to wizard history. Harry chuckled at them and said a bit patronizingly, "**Don't stress yourself too much about it. I don't really expect you to know of it since I heard from the Headmaster Dumbledore that the only history taught to you by your ghostly professor was the time of the Goblin Rebellion. Besides, I'm already quite used to be thought of as a minor pureblood. It doesn't exactly matter to me now.**"

Instead of being reassured, the two became further embarrassed to learn that the mysterious boy knew of their lack of proper education about their own history.

Harry, in trying to dispel the uncomfortable air, invited them to join him inside the quidditch store. Inside the shop, Harry immediately made his way to the counter to purchase the new broom while the other two levitated around him, not really interested in buying anything apart from a few get-well gifts for their supposedly comatose friend.

After purchasing other quidditch gears, Harry asked the two to join him and have some lunch at Leisure Expo. He was amused to note that they, too, had the same reactions with Draco and his friends when he introduced Triad Alley. He even wondered about why his year-mates didn't know of it when there were actually a lot of patrons in the alley.

During lunch, the three conversed about some things like school and quidditch. But, when they broached the subject of the Dark Lord's defeat, the expression on Harry's companions darkened. When he saw this, he was a bit worried that they would blame him or something but to his shock, he heard Hermione grumble, "**It's quite irritating how the wizarding world instantly reveres Harry when they actually went out of their way to persecute him last year.**"

He was even more surprised when Neville added, "**Then those aurors acted like headless chickens when he collapsed during that battle. They wouldn't have even thought about sending him to the hospital if I hadn't suggested it.**"

After hearing these comments, Harry tested the waters and asked, "**So, you mean to say, that you don't even blame him for bringing you to such a dangerous place?**"

Hermione looked at him, offended for suggesting such a thing, "**Of course not! We went with him on our own. He would've gone alone if we hadn't insisted to come along. Harry's our friend so it's very much obvious that we'll help him even if we have to follow him to danger.**"

"**That's right. I haven't been as close to Harry as Hermione is but the guy helped me overcome my shyness and taught me how to stand up for myself. He made me realize that I'm not a failure and for me, that's enough to make me help him even with such dangerous odds.**" Neville added with such vehemence that Harry felt gratified by their loyalty. He was even tempted to reveal himself but, fortunately, he managed to get himself together.

After his initial test, Harry continued to ask subtle questions to ensure their trustworthiness. He only hoped that the results would be the same when it came to Ron. When he was satisfied, he directed their conversation to some lighter topics.

Hermione and Neville was surprised that they had enjoyed the mysterious boy's company. Neville even invited him to visit Longbottom Manor tomorrow. The slightly pudgy boy also extended the invitation to Hermione, saying that he's going to invite most of their friends at Hogwarts for a late birthday celebration that his grandmother organized for him since he was unable to celebrate his birthday last 31st of July.

Harry and Hermione agreed to come. After they finished their lunch, the trio left the restaurant and went their separate ways. Hermione returned to Gringotts. Neville went home. And Harry went back to the Leaky Cauldron with a satisfied smirk on his face.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Finally, Hermione and Neville appear...

Also, if you're wondering why they didn't know that Harry's awake then here's the explanation...

A day after he woke up, Harry immediately set out to furnish some loose ends with his history as Salazar.

Dumbledore was too curious to even think about informing Sirius and Remus.

Draco isn't the type to broadcast that he had some sort of interaction with the boy.

Severus is the same as well.

The other professors were of the opinion that Dumbledore have already told the boy's guardians.

I hope that their interaction with Harry when he was disguised as Gerald was satisfactory...

Next time: Let's join in the celebration in Longbottom Manor and listen on Harry's confession to his godfathers.


	6. Chapter 6: Celebrations and Confessions

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 6: **Celebrations and Confessions

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Harry was anticipating today's events. He just hoped that his friends would think that his absence as Harry would be seen as proof that he hadn't awaken yet. He took out one of his casual robes and decided that the simple one would be appropriate for the occasion. He chose the shade of dark blue and returned the others on the multiple-compartment trunk that he bought in "Safety Trunks for Travellers" during his last visit to Triad Alley. He placed his new wand on his wand holster that he took from his Moonhaven Vault and kept his holly wand in his trunk.

He looked at himself in the mirror to see if there was anything wrong in his appearance. When he was satisfied, he went down into the pub and flooed to Neville's

-x-x-x-

Neville was frantic; this was the first time that he'd invited anybody for his birthday. He was even anxious that no one would attend because it's already been days since his actual birthday. He was only thankful that he already had the confirmation from Hermione, Luna, the Twins, and his new friend Gerald. At least, he knew now that someone would show up.

He was dressed in a light-brown robe designed with roses. He had decided not to wear the matching cloak since the celebration was to be done on the manor's dance hall. To tell the truth, the party was actually news to him since this was the first time that his grandmother went out of her way to prepare something frivolous. He only learned of it two days before the inheritance test that he took yesterday.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. It wouldn't do after all for the celebrant to make a fool of himself in his own party. He was startled, however, when he heard someone flooing into the guest hall. He made his way towards the place and was pleasantly surprised to see his new friend. Somehow, for some unknown reason, he observed that the way the other teen stood reminded him a bit of Harry, only in a Slytherin fashion. He shook his head and made his way to greet his guest. "**Good morning. I didn't think that you'd be here earlier than the time I specified.**" He remarked.

Harry turned to him and gave a wry grin, "**I'd rather not join your other guests in the traffic that would probably occur a minute or so before the actual time you told me.**" He scanned the house and unconsciously said, "**When was the last time you checked the wards on your manor?**"

Neville looked at him funnily and asked a bit confused, "**I don't really know. Why do you ask?**"

The silver-haired teen, rather offhandedly, answered, "**It seems to me that the wards protecting your manor have already lost its effectiveness for over a hundred years or so.**"

Neville was about to reply when he was interrupted by his grandmother's slightly shrill voice, "**What do you mean lost its effectiveness? The wards of this manor are one of the best wards ever. My ancestors had made it so and the fact that Longbottom Manor still stands attests to that.**"

Hoping to calm the elderly woman, Harry turned to her and replied in a more serious yet soothing voice, "**I do not mean to offend, madam. I have only made an observation. My family has been specializing with wards and I've noticed that the magical essence that was supposed to come off the pillars of the wards has already faded. I've also observed that this was not a current occurrence but rather one that goes back for almost a hundred years, if my calculations are correct.**" He lied about his family specializing in wards but he was quite truthful in relating his observations and logical derivations to the Longbottom Matriarch. He even theorized that the reason why Frank and Alice Longbottom were attacked because the wards were no longer functioning properly and were thusly penetrated through the use of dark magic. Unconsciously, he gave a rueful sigh signifying his thoughts on how present-day wizards abuse dark magic.

Augusta Longbottom was, for the first time, floored by the young man in front of her. She was walking to the guest hall to see who flooed in and was surprised to see a relatively unknown teen with her grandson. At first, she thought him an intruder but she immediately dismissed the idea when Neville greeted him in such a familiar manner. She was about to leave them alone when she heard their guest remark about the manor's ward. She was filled with indignation when she heard the boy say that the wards effects had already faded. So, in her indignant state, she betrayed her presence and questioned the boy. She was even shocked to hear the explanation. Who was this boy who knew so much about things that not even the most ancient wizard today, maybe barring Dumbledore, could fully comprehend. She also wondered how the boy managed to fully scan the place when some of the most venerable ward-masters found it hard to even sense half of the actual parameter. And add to that the fact that he even managed to reason out how long since the wards had been checked and strengthened. Finally, cooling herself down, she looked at the boy and realized that even when he was explaining, it seemed that he was observing his surroundings magically.

She caught the boy's attention and apologized, "**Forgive me, as well. I have overreacted a bit. But I'm curious as to how a boy your age managed to fully scan the manor when older and more experienced wizards fail to even cover half of its parameters.**"

Harry cursed his inattention for that comment. He should have realized that most wizards of the present rely more on their wands and therefore, unable to hone their magic sense and expand their core to the extreme. He searched his head for a plausible explanation for his blunder and finally answered with a half-truth, "**I am a soul-mage, ma'am. And since magical wards are tethered on the place that they protect, I am able to sense their flow and recognize the resonance that they give off. It is quite similar to sensing a person's magical aura for location spells.**"

Seeing the reluctance in the boy, Augusta realized that the topic was either a family secret or something that he didn't intend to open. When she heard the response, however, she was yet again surprised. She knew that mages of any kind were rare nowadays and to have one as a guest was an honour for every pureblood family. Deciding to learn the boy's identity, she asked, "**Is that so? Then, may I ask the pleasure of knowing your name?**"

Harry was flustered and he realized that he had been rude for not even introducing himself albeit using a false name. He guessed that he was still slightly off-balanced by the fusion of his memories and decided to take the time to organize them as soon as he returned to his room at the pub. He gave a polite bow and said courteously, shocking the old witch once again, "**Forgive my rudeness, Madam Longbottom. My name is Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven and I am pleased to meet your acquaintance and that of your grandson's.**"

Shock was written on her face. She didn't know whether to faint or not. She knew the importance of his name and to tell the truth, the boy was giving her far too many surprises than she'd be able to handle at the present. She was left speechless and would have been embarrassed if Neville hadn't taken over, much to her bemusement.

Neville was confused. Not only had he discovered that his new friend was a very powerful wizard, he also learned something troubling. Somehow, during the interaction between Gerald and his grandmother, he had concluded that perhaps, the reason that his parents were easily attacked was because of the fluctuations in the manor's wards that he supposed should have been updated before. He even wondered why the previous heads of the family hadn't done so in the past. When he noticed his grandmother's state, he decided to intercede and prevent her from embarrassing herself.

He caught Harry's attention and said, "**I do believe that we should take this discussion somewhere else, Grandmother, Gerald. Let's head to the tea room, shall we.**"

Harry forced himself not to give the other boy a grateful smile; instead he gave a nod of assent and waited for Augusta to respond. When she agreed, Neville led the two towards the tea room and there he directed their discussion into something along the lines of finding someone to strengthen the wards.

Much to Neville's delight, his friend, Gerald, not only gave him some names of the most prominent establishments specializing in warding homes, he also received some instructions how to connect himself to the wards themselves. He was even more delighted by his grandmother when she didn't disprove of his intentions. The only things that he didn't learn were the silent thoughts of his present companions.

Augusta was beyond shocked. This was the first time that Neville acted with confidence that she couldn't even disprove of anything that he said during the conversation. To her, it was as if her grandson transformed from a pathetically obedient boy into a powerfully confident young man. She knew that Neville finally possessed a backbone that he even countered his Uncle Algie when the old man taunted him about finally proving that he's his father's son. But this change was far beyond that. Today, Neville presented himself in front of their guest as a proper head of the family and she didn't know whether to be ecstatic or saddened by it.

Harry, on the other hand, was smirking to himself when he reviewed the scene in front of him. He knew since first year that Neville was only shy and obedient because he didn't want to disappoint his grandmother. But now, he had proven that the change and improvement that he underwent last year was fruitful. He thought that now, with Neville getting his act together in front of his family, the other boy would finally show his true potential and probably surpass that of Helga's. Thinking about it, he supposed that his old friend probably possessed an affinity towards the earth and that maybe, it was the reason for the late development of his neutral magic.

After their conversation about wards, Augusta left the two boys to themselves and headed to her favourite haunt in the manor. With her gone, the two conversed about lighter topics and enjoyed each other's company while waiting for Neville's other guests.

-o-o-o-

Luna Lovegood, along with her father Xenophilius, was first to arrive in the manor. When introduced to Harry's disguised self, she looked at him curiously and silently communicated that she knew who he truly was. The wizard was actually surprised by this but he supposed that being a seer gave the girl the ability to sense a person's true nature even with glamour. The only thing that confused him was as to why she was willing to keep his secret from Neville and he supposed to the others as well.

Hermione followed soon afterwards. She gave Neville and Luna a warm hug while she greeted Harry with a smile. After learning of their discussion, the older girl went into a lecture about what she had learned regarding wards and how they function. The three didn't stop her but instead, they gave indulgent smiles that urged her to continue.

Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones came together when they were brought by Susan's aunt, Amelia Bones of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan came without their parents but it wasn't a surprise for the celebrant. What surprised Neville was their presence since he didn't think that the two would actually show up.

Remus Lupin came along with the Weasley family. His former professor greeted him warmly and asked about his grandmother's wardrobe, reminding him of his experience with a boggart during his third year. Neville gave a light chuckle and responded in a conspiratorial manner that his grandmother kept it hidden so as not to give him any more ideas with it.

Bill and Charlie greeted him genially and captivated him with stories about their jobs.

The twins were still the same and asked him if they could prank his guests to which he disagreed with the thought that some of the older ones would not appreciate a prank being directed at them.

Ron was a little indifferent with him but he could care less. He was wary of the redhead because he believed that Ron was the type to hold petty jealousies. He was actually apprehensive that the other boy would make a big deal about the manor in the same way that he made a big fuss about Harry being a champion in the tri-wizard tournament.

Ginny was somehow cool with him. But he guessed that it was because Harry wasn't there to watch. He didn't care about it either way. To him, Ginny was still in the phase of hero-worshipping towards his friend and that it only worsened with the defeat of Voldemort in front of several witnesses.

Percy was nowhere to be seen but it was with little wonder.

He wondered whether the scarred boy and his godfather would show up but after an hour or so, he supposed that the two were still recovering from the ordeal.

With his friends there, he only waited for the people that his grandmother invited and upon their arrival, he led them towards the dance hall for the party.

-x-x-x-

Neville searched the hall for Gerald and introduced him to his other friends. His presence was generally accepted with only some minor problems. For one, Ron made a big fuss about Gerald being another pureblood pig who could probably care less about them if not for Neville's name. The plant-lover thought it better not to tell the importance of the Moonhaven name to the redhead. Ginny, when she guessed that Harry wouldn't be there, tried to flirt with the handsome youth only to be turned down. This further incensed the girl's ranting brother.

Harry was shocked by his best friend's reaction and with Ginny's as well. He didn't know what to think of it. He was on the verge of saying something snide so he focused himself on the others' reaction to his presence. The older wizards, he rationalized, seemed to know the importance of his name but decided not to make it public knowledge. For one, he was half-afraid that Remus would discover his deception but to his relief, the werewolf only made a comment about his scent being somewhat familiar and yet not. The twins even took the chance to embroil him into convincing Neville to allow them to perform some pranks to which he only chuckled that he didn't want to be the reason in the havoc that would ensue if he did. The twins pouted but they brightened when Harry subtly hinted that he would be willing to help them develop some new line of product if they gave up for today. The other teens besides Luna and Hermione greeted him cordially and were a little bit friendly with him aside from Seamus who seemed to be of the same opinion as Ron. The only thing different was that he had the grace not to make spectacle out of himself.

The party went on normally and with little trouble apart from the earlier debacle. Harry gravitated around some of the prominent figures in society who were invited in the party and ensured himself with some sort of tentative alliance when they learned of his name. He decided not to stay too much with the others so as to prevent Ron from creating another scene.

As soon as the party ended, Harry allowed himself to be the last to leave. When he was alone with Neville, he tapped the other boy and gave him an amulet as his gift. It was a silver buckle made to look like a rose with a single jade teardrop at the opening of the petals which were covered with small rubies. He explained to the Gryffindor that it the ornament would help its bearer enhance his or her magical sensing capability and if found worthy, allow him or her to communicate with all sorts of earth-type magical beings like goblins, elves, and centaurs.

Neville was so grateful that he hugged the surprised boy while giving his thanks. Harry only patted him on the back and said that he only gifted it to him because it suited him. The disguised boy decided not to mention the fact that it was one of the artefacts hidden on one of his vaults and its powers were probably more potent that the ones being sold by present-day makers.

After giving his gift, he then left the manor and returned to his room in The Leaky Cauldron.

-o-o-o-

The rest of Harry's two-week vacation went on without any problems. He decided to pretend to be exploring the shops and entered the Weasley twin's shop. The two recognized him as Neville's pureblood friend who promised to give them some prank ideas. As soon as they did so, the two pulled him into their office and asked him about it. He gladly gave them some tips, recalling the schemes that he had managed to drag his peers during his training as Salazar. Of course, he didn't inform them of how the ideas came to be. He noted that the twins were still continuing in creating their line of products specified for defence so he gave them some ideas about it as well.

The ideas he gave involved producing an "Anything About Me" card set that contains 20 cards that showed someone's most: loved person, hated person, read book, favourite teacher, hated teacher, embarrassing moment, remarkable achievement, favourite subject, hated subject, important place; the first ten was supposed to tell its holder about what it was about while the other ten was made to reveal these very same things about the holder of the former to the holder of the latter ten.

Another was called "Traffic Jam". It was made to magically turn the victim's face into red, green and yellow whenever someone said the words "stop", "go", and "wait" respectively. The effects of the jam were to last for an hour.

For their defence line, Harry thought to give them the idea of producing some sort of warning device. He was of the idea of having the twins produce a set of gold bracelets and rings that could be linked to its owners. The bracelet was to be worn by the owner while the ring was to be worn by someone that the owner trusts the most. The ring would then glow blue if someone was casting harmless magic on the bracelet's wearer, brown if they're mildly dangerous but not life-threatening, green if the danger was detrimental to the wearer's physical health, yellow if its effect was on the wearer's mental health, red if the wearer was bordering life and death, and white if the wearer was relatively safe.

After his encounter with the twins, who looked very satisfied at his suggestions, he continued to roam all three alleys and exhausted himself in acquiring new knowledge about the present-day discoveries of wizards. So as soon as his hiatus ended, Harry's book compartment in his trunk was almost bursting with several tomes of information and pamphlets of all sorts of masteries that one could acquire and guilds that one could join.

After ensuring the safety of his belongings, Harry left the pub through the floo and headed towards the headmaster's office.

-x-x-x-

Albus Dumbledore was calmly sitting in his office while looking over two worried faces seated in front of him.

Sirius Black, who was finally able to get out of #12 Grimmauld Place after months of recuperation, and Remus Lupin, whose line on his face showed how tired and worried he was, went to Hogwarts in hopes of seeing their godson, who they believed was still in a comatose state. They were almost to the point of talking the headmaster's head off when they realized that the wizened man allowed Harry out of the safety of the school two weeks prior to their visit. Sirius was getting hysterical with worry and was anxious about his godson's state that it was only through Remus' effort that he hadn't done anything detrimental to his health yet. The werewolf, though calm on the outside, was anxious as well. He forestalled informing the animagus that he hadn't seen the boy during Neville's birthday for fear that Sirius would do something that could worsen his condition. But now, he didn't know what to do. He thought that Harry was only recuperating and thus, was still in Hogwarts under Poppy's care. He hadn't imagined that Dumbledore would be foolish enough to allow a boy to go out with himself just like that. He would have said something about it if it weren't for look in Albus' eyes that stated that he knew something they didn't and that something was somehow connected to Harry. The only saving grace for Sirius, however, was the thought that Harry would soon come out of the fireplace and reassure them of his relative safety.

The three were jolted out of their thoughts when the fireplace flared to life and out came a silver-haired teen with blue eyes who carried himself with such finesse that one would assume that he was of the fairer sex. Dumbledore smile and motioned him to seat in front of Sirius and Remus. The former was fretful when he saw a stranger come out while the latter recognized the boy as the one that Neville introduced in his party. The two was confused as to the presence of the other boy and Remus voiced it out, "**Mr. Moonhaven, I can't help but wonder as to why you are here.**"

Sirius froze at the name. He knew from his parents' teachings that the Moonhaven name was legendary and to find someone bearing that name was near impossible. He was about to express his wonder when the boy answered with a chuckle, "**Come now, Remus. Don't tell me that you haven't recognized me yet.**"

When the werewolf scrunched his forehead in confusion, Harry removed the glamour much to the surprise of the two. Both his godfathers' mouthed at him, "**How?**"

And with that, Harry retold his story and with help from the headmaster clarified all of the points necessary.

When questioned as whether anybody else knew of his glamour, Harry only replied, "**Draco Malfoy does not seem to be one to gossip, so no, but I guess you could count Luna Lovegood to the handful few that knows. And before you tell me that it's not right to keep it from the others, I will say now that I'm still looking as to whether the others are trustworthy enough to know.**"

The four argued as to the importance of informing others with the headmaster on Harry's side, stating that it would only incite confusion and general chaos if the others were to know of it unless their loyalty and trustworthiness were ensured. So, through logical reasoning, the four agreed that the facts about Hogwarts' true history were not to be released and Gerald's identity would remain separate from Harry unless it was inevitable to reveal the truth.

As for Draco's knowledge about the boy's dual identity, there was a consensus that he won't be obliviated unless he proved to have a loose tongue.

With everything settled, Harry joined his godfathers back to the Black ancestral home and left Dumbledore to his lemon drops.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Finally, this chapter's done...

I hope that you'd like it....

So far, I've made it through until two weeks before start of next term...

I've yet to decide whether to relate Harry's settlement to Grimmauld or to start the school year already in the next chapter...

I'm writing both chapters now, so kindly tell me which scene you want to see next...

If you're wondering about the story title, I'd say that it indicates the fall-out with Ron and Ginny and not Harry becoming a true Dark Wizard because I've already indicated that he's a soul-mage. If you think that he's becoming so powerful just remember that he had an adult's worth of knowledge and experience and with it come some major changes in his core. And if he seems to be know-it-all, I hope not, just know that he still hadn't had the time to properly organize his two sets of memories so he's bound to let something slip for a while.

I hope that this note clarifies most things and if ever I'd forget anything, just pm me and I'd gladly reply...

Kyuubi04.


	7. Chapter 7: The Start of Something New

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 7: **The Start of Something New

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Harry, Sirius and Remus came out the fireplace of #12 Grimmauld Place. Upon scanning the house, a habit that he had developed as Salazar, he understood the reason as to why he was always wary of the place. He sensed the anger and hatred that was deeply entrenched into the house. He didn't know how this came to be but he didn't think that those feelings were only ingrained there in the years that Sirius lived in the house as a teen. Somehow, he was of the thought that someone died there while having deep feelings of resentment towards someone of the House of Black. He stopped himself before he was able to ask his godfather about it. He didn't want to add to the stress that the ex-convict was suffering from now that he knew the truth about Harry's existence.

The boy had to admit that the two adults were taking the situation better than he had thought. He imagined that Sirius would be in denial about it while Remus would try to find a more logical reason as to how it happened. He was rather thankful that not only had they accepted it as a fact, they also gave him some options on what to do now that he was with his old memories. He considered going down to his chamber but didn't know whether he would have the chance to do so. He just hoped that he could rope the other two into planning for it.

As Harry was contemplating his predicament, Sirius and Remus were taking their time to actually allow their new information about their godson to sink in. They understood the complication that this event would bring not only to their relationship but also to Harry's social life. Upon further consideration, they decided to have a talk with the teen on how they were supposed to act with each other.

With these, the two adults led Harry to the room that he was supposed to use and allowed the boy to settle himself properly into the house.

-x-x-x-

As Harry entered the room, he noticed that the feelings that coated the whole place were stronger compared to the feelings that came from any other part of the house. He was curious about it but he knew that only a seer could recover a past memory from anything imbued with magic fuelled strongly by emotions. He unpacked most of his clothes into the wardrobe beside the bed and decided to sleep the remainder of the day and let his godfathers' have some time to further mull things over.

-o-o-o-

The next day, Harry awoke to the sound of tableware falling around the kitchen. In his state, he hadn't realized that he flew to the place with only his boxers on. When he entered, he saw his godfathers become slack-jawed at the sight of him and forgot that they were holding the frying pans that they were trying to cook in and allowed them to fall down the floor with a clang in their shock. Harry blushed while Sirius laughed out loud. Remus, being the calm person that he was, navigated Harry back at his room and waited for him to come out in his daily clothes.

When the two reappeared in the kitchen, they saw Sirius covered in flour and eggs. Harry grumbled about purebloods not knowing how to cook and therefore, making him embarrass himself in his fright, before he irately took over and magically cleaned the mess. He searched for some ingredients and came up with bacons, hams, and the vegetables that seemed to have survived the cooking catastrophe attempted by his godfathers. After making some salad and sandwiches, Harry placed their breakfast on the table and asked, "**What are you trying to do?**"

The two looked at him sheepishly and attempted to explain that they were trying to cook breakfast since Sirius had executed the treacherous house-elf Kreacher for betraying the Order and most of all, Sirius, his master. Harry sighed at this and replied that they should have just called him to do it. Sirius argued that they had managed to do the cooking without something like this happening. Harry, however, countered that it was only because the one who did the cooking was probably Remus. With that, Sirius pouted like a child while Remus laughed, giving Harry a thump on the back saying that he was spot on.

With this incident, the two adults decided to treat their godson in same manner that they did before.

After breakfast, the three conversed about the general plan that Harry was to initiate. He wanted to know who were truthful to him and who were not but didn't know how to go on about it. The werewolf suggested that he continue to act like Harry and observe how the others would respond to his increased fame. The animagus added that he should also keep up appearances as Gerald since it would be suspicious if someone was to notice that as soon as Harry Potter returns from his sickbed, Gerald Moonhaven had disappeared from the public eye. After all, now that he had announced the return of the powerful family, it would be expected that he join them in some public settings. When faced with the problem of having Harry and Gerald appear at the same time, Harry just brushed it off saying that he could fashion himself a temporary golem that would act as Harry Potter while he posed as the Moonhaven Lord.

With that out of the way, Harry informed them that they didn't have to treat him like they were treading on thin ice. It wasn't like they actually knew the truth behind the history of Hogwarts to be wary about slandering the honour of his house. The only thing that he reprimanded them for as Salazar was their hostile actions towards Severus Snape since not only was it unfounded, it was made out of pure malice as well. He told them that it wouldn't do to cause harm to someone just because they didn't like some aspect of that person. And with that, Harry managed to have Sirius agree to apologize to Snape for past transgressions.

The following two weeks had come and gone in a smooth manner. Sirius decided to ask the headmaster to bind one of the Hogwarts' elves to the Black Manor and have it clear the atmosphere of the whole place without much success. The elf, Ruddy, worked in synchronization with Harry and together, the two made for a liveable place for the three humans and one house elf.

While spending time with his godfathers, Harry also spent some of his time to go on scheduled visits into the wizarding world as Gerald. They decided not to make Harry's recovery public and have yet to inform the others about it. Dumbledore agreed that it would be best to just let them see Harry at Hogwarts to stave off some of the paparazzi that were sure to hound the Black House as soon as new of Harry's return came out.

Harry ended his summer quite nicely compared to his previous vacations with the Dursleys. He didn't even bother to check on them knowing that they would just treat his presence deplorably like before. Although he didn't visit them, Harry thought it best to send them some sort of monetary compensation for taking him in even if it wasn't one of his best experiences. Although Sirius grumbled about it, his godfathers agreed with him.

Feeling good about the turnabout in his life, the teen headed to the Hogwarts Express along with his guardians wearing a new set of school robes. He entered the last compartment, which he thought was empty, and saw one very livid Draco Malfoy who seemed intent to maim him for something. He was about to escape the compartment when the blond spelled the door shut and silent before motioning him to take the seat opposite the Malfoy heir.

-x-x-x-

Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince of his batch, was beyond pissed. He was of the thought that he'd be able to puzzle out the enigma that was Harry Potter but to his dismay, he learned that the boy left immediately after their shopping and speaking with Dumbledore. He didn't know where the boy went but he had an idea about it. He had heard rumours circulating about a charismatic noble calling himself Moonhaven from his father's social circles. He realized that his rival was making connections for himself but this did not abate the unexplainable displeasure that he felt when Harry left as suddenly as he did.

A week before the start of the term, his father brought him home to their renovated manor and was informed that his mother, Narcissa, died two day prior due to the effect of the Dark Lord's death almost four months ago. He was, at first, curious as to why his father and godfather weren't affected by it and was told that Dumbledore had been supplying them with Fawkes' tears that slowly terminated the magical soul link that Voldemort gave to his followers through the Dark Mark. He was even told that had the war stretched on, he, too, would be given the same. He wondered as to how his mother survived this long when most of the others that were part of the inner circle died only a month after Voldemort's demise. His father, however, told him that the link they had from his marriage with Narcissa probably allowed her to live longer than the others. With his curiosity satisfied, Draco could care less now that his father and he were free from having to pretend to grovel at half-blood's feet. He might be a blood purist but he was in no way a fool who would follow a deranged man to his path for total domination. After all, he was from the house of snakes. He was just thankful that Blaise' parents were neutral and it gave them more ground to help Pansy and Theo claim the Lordship over their own families right after their Death Eater parents died due to the mark. He knew that many of his peers in Slytherin were without their parents but he also knew that they were more than glad to be free from the chains that would enslave them to the Dark Lord had not the Boy-Who-Lived killed him a bit earlier than they hoped.

He had spent most of his vacation with his friends and family that he almost forgot about his irritation with the Golden Boy. This, however, was rekindled when he saw the de-glamorized teen walking towards the platform with his godfathers. The others hadn't noticed him yet and he noticed that Harry used it to slip into the back part of the train and into his current compartment which he chose just to be away from his friends who were pestering him about the Moonhaven Lord. When he saw the boy open his compartment, he immediately made it known that he was displeased with him. And when Harry attempted to leave, he spelled the door shut and silenced it to prevent eavesdroppers to hear them.

Harry sighed and asked, "**What do you want, Malfoy?**"

"**So it's back to Malfoy now is it? Right after you dragged me into playing along with you like a dog on a leash during that trip?**" Draco sneered, hiding the hurt that he had felt since his first year when the other boy disregarded the friendship that he had offered for the blood-traitor Weasley.

"**Okay, Draco. What are you angry with me for? And is it really necessary to lock the door?**" Harry was confused, he thought that the blonde would have liked to see Harry gone from the school premises last summer so he didn't inform him of his departure, but now he didn't know what to think.

Draco snorted, "**First, you called a truce with me and then, you left without even waiting to see if I am of the same mind. And now, you're wondering why I'm angry? You even made me deceive my friends for your sake and then what? I was left hanging back there in school not knowing what to think of your actions. Let me tell you this now, I don't like to be treated like some rag that you'd toss away after using it and yet, you did just that when I thought that somehow, now that this farce of a war was over, I'd be able to see something different from your Golden Goy self.**" He ranted, not knowing that he was releasing all the pent-up resentment that he had nurtured through years of constant taunting of the other boy.

Harry opened his empathy and sensed Draco's interest, resentment, and surprisingly, his hurt. He didn't know what caused the blonde to direct these emotions at him but he decided that maybe by trying to prevent a dispute between them, he had offered his hand to the boy for a truce. He also recalled his first day at Hogwarts as Harry and wondered if the Malfoy arrogance was only a mask. He decided to take a chance and replied softly, voice full of regret and confusion, "**I apologize if I have made that impression when I just upped and left the school. But I did it without your knowing because we are not that close and besides, I thought that you'd be more than ecstatic to have me out of your way. I understand that on that day, I offered for a truce so I'm going to say this more as a formality. Can we have a truce this year and the years after, Draco Lucian Malfoy?**" With that, he formally held out hand to seal the offer.

Draco took the hand but was far from satisfied. He didn't understand his feelings since they seemed to be unfounded but he knew, for sure, that he didn't want a simple truce with the boy. He kept his thoughts to himself and changed the subject into the area on how they were going to break the news to their friends.

Harry felt the dissatisfaction from the boy but decided not to push it and ask. He freely gave his ideas on how to properly inform the others of their new situation. Finally, after an hour or so, they came up with using one of Hogwarts old rule of creating a truce between opposing parties from two different houses that the current headmaster could activate after war-time. Harry made it seem to be Draco's idea so as not to arouse suspicion from the other boy about his actual knowledge. After all, it would not do to expose himself unless he had no choice.

After that, Draco had finally cooled down enough to finally decide to return to his friends. At Harry's suggestion, he disillusioned himself so as not to make others suspicious about having Harry as company.

-o-o-o-

Hermione was beside herself. She still hadn't seen her best friend and Ron seemed to believe that Harry was only trying to increase his fame since it was obvious that Sirius and Remus sent him off today at the platform when they saw the two adults heading out. She huffed and stomped out her compartment when she finally realized that Ginny was only trying to primp herself up and wasn't exactly worried like she pretended to be.

She met up with Neville and Luna outside the compartment and together, they went in search of the missing hero. As if knowing where she was going, Luna led them to the farthest compartment and inside; they saw Harry lounging in the seat, asleep. They settled into the compartment and didn't disturb the sleeping boy.

Neville and Hermione sat together on the opposite seat while Luna sat beside Harry and said in her trance-like voice, "**You could stop pretending to be asleep, you know.**"

Harry cocked an eye open and answered lazily, "**I wouldn't have to if you've just informed me that you're going to join me. After all, I'd rather not answer questions from pawning students once they realized that I'm situated here.**"

Luna looked a bit sheepish but had decided to let it go. Hermione began to ask Harry questions about his well-being and the teen answered them all without giving away too much of the actual truth. Neville, on the other hand, retold to him his encounters with the Lord Moonhaven earning himself amused looks from his three companions but for different reasons. Harry was amused because he thought that Neville wouldn't have considered him more than an acquaintance, given that he did hope that he would. Luna was amused because she knew the truth about the young lord. And Hermione was amused by the fact that the brunette seemed to be so taken in by the pureblood teen because he managed to throw Ron and Ginny off the "food chain" during his party.

After chatting for another hour or so, the four decided to went to the compartment bearing Ron and Ginny due to Harry's insistence, "**I think now would be the best time to start the show. Come on, you three. If what you said about those two are true, I don't want to add more to it by making it look like I did just what they thought I'd do.**"

His friends nodded and all four headed out. Hermione and Harry went to find Ron while Neville and Luna opted not to join them.

As soon as they arrived, Ron reverted to acting like a concerned friend while Ginny started fawning over him asking about his health and flirting with him in general. He somehow, much to his relief, managed to act like he usually did and didn't cause any suspicion from the two.

-x-x-x-

The students arrived at the Great Hall and seated themselves in their proper house tables. Harry, sitting in the Lion's Den, listened intently on the Sorting Hat's new song:

_There were once four great mages of renown;_

_And four values they're known to uphold;_

_Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Cunning;_

_Which one of these is yours in becoming?_

_Do you remember the man called Godric;_

_Whose bravery is quite unparalleled?_

_Can you, with head held high, take the challenge;_

_For me to see the courage in your heart?_

_Or do you recall Lady Rowena;_

_Whose beauty is on par with her wisdom?_

_For you may be one of her wonderers;_

_Of whether knowledge can be one's best blade?_

_Mayhap you agree with sweet young Helga;_

_Whose loyalty remains true till her end?_

_Come on, walk up to me and let us see,_

_How good a little badger can you be._

_Or would you rather meet shrewd Salazar;_

_Whose mind remains levelled with the greatest?_

_Could your subtle tactics become a match;_

_To that of the best mind here in Hogwarts?_

_Come on now and don't be afraid to try;_

_This old hat's one trial to sort you out._

_Whether to Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw;_

_Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, we shall see._

The old soul smiled softly at the hat's description of him and made a move to better see the students to be sorted. His smile brightened when he realized that without the threat of Voldemort, the Slytherin House table became more welcoming to the eight students that were sorted there. After ensuring that all was well with his original house, the teen genially welcomed the ten new lions that entered their den.

As soon as the feast began, Harry took a plate of chicken, peas, and mashed potatoes while disregarding the steak and the stew. He sipped some of his hot chocolate that he silently requested from the house elves and zoned out Ron's unending rant about how the snake pit should be taken down so as to remove the bad blood that permeated the school. When he heard Ron make a comment about it being a pity that not all of the snakes were killed because he's so sure that they've only escaped the effects of the Dark Mark through some sort of disgusting dark magic, Harry almost thrashed his so-called best friend. He was highly disappointed that not only was the other boy becoming more close-minded than ever, he was also becoming so inconsiderate as to even contemplate the idea of wanting the death of all the members of his old house. He was almost tempted to disclose the truth about himself and frighten the redhead with subtle threats but with exercised control, he prevented himself from doing such. And mistaking his silence as some form of agreement, Ginny added her own knuts about it, saying that the ministry should just make the Slytherins swallow veritaserum and have them confess to being Death Eaters before handing them to the dementors for the Kiss.

Hermione and Neville, who were listening in on the conversation, were disgusted by the girl's ideas and were about to counter them when Harry replied, a little bit coldly, "**If you could even consider such things to be done to others, then I guess that you would also be willing to be the first one to try such a form of punishment, eh Ginevra?**"

Taken aback by the use of her full name in such a manner, Ginny was forced to silence herself. Ron, on the other hand, jumping to his sister's defence, replied almost accusingly, "**How can you even suggest such a horrid thing to my sister, mate? It's not like she's a slimy Slytherin.**"

Harry eyed gave him an icy glare and responded, his voice freezing almost everyone within hearing range, "**How can I not when your own sister can and did just that? Do you even realize what you were saying just now? Contemplating the death of others as if it is just a simple walk in the park, how can you even be so inhumane as to do just that? Tell me, Ronald, have you not ever felt the loss that death brings because I might consider your folly as a result of ignorance and not of malice.**"

Ron sputtered at this. He didn't understand why Harry wasn't taking his side. After all, how was he supposed to cement himself as Harry's best mate when the other boy wasn't even supporting him in his crusade to eliminate the slimy snakes? Within a minute or so, the redhead flushed with anger for being embarrassed by Harry since almost everybody from Gryffindor were eying him with disgust. He was about to call the boy a traitor or something of the sort when the headmaster stood and made his usual announcements.

-o-o-o-

Dumbledore felt, rather than saw, the tension forming on the Gryffindor table. Realizing that almost everybody in the Great Hall could sense it as well, he decided to cut it short by making his announcement. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly, catching everyone's attention, "**This year is such a glorious year. Not only had Lord Voldemort been vanquished, Harry Potter and Sirius Black have also returned to us as a student and a teacher, respectively. In light of this, I am also proud to announce the return of Remus Lupin as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Sirius Black would also serve here as an assistant to Professor McGonagall and would be teaching first years through third years in the art of Transfiguration. I hope that you would give these two the proper respects. In addition to that, I am pleased to say that Professor Firenze would remain here as the Divination instructor of third years to fifth years while Professor Sybill Trelawney will return to teach the sixth and seventh years. Mr. Filch also reminds me to tell you that all Weasley products are banned from the school grounds and anyone caught in possession of such products would serve detention with our caretaker. I would also like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest shall remain so to all students and is without any exception unless you're accompanied by a responsible adult. Now that I'm done, I suggest that we all head to bed. Goodnight to you all.**"

-x-x-x-

Harry spared a glance at the head table, one that was not missed by four people, one of which was suspicious of its reason, and gave a grateful nod towards the headmaster who merely raised his goblet in salutation. He was thankful that headmaster had stepped in before he lost his patience with Ron and ruined his act for the whole year through.

-o-o-o-

The rest of the staff was thankful as well. The headmaster had chosen and impeccable time to make his announcement and thus, averted a possible disaster had he not done so. They didn't know why two-thirds of the so-called Golden Trio was biting each other's heads off but the feeling that they got from their saviour was enough to frighten them a bit. Remus and Sirius, knowing part of the reason for the sensation that they felt, were only too grateful that the boy's ire wasn't focused at either of them. Snape, feeling the same thing, brushed it off as some sort childish disagreement that had just triggered the spoiled brats' – insert Harry's face – probably still unstable magic and sneered in disgust as his colleagues gave the old wizard appreciative nods. The other teachers were wondering as to the power that the boy possessed to be able to produce such form of energy.

-x-x-x-

In their own common rooms, all the members of the four houses apart from Harry, who was oblivious to the aura that he gave off, Ron, who didn't observe anything due to his thick-headedness, and Ginny, who was too shocked by hearing Harry use her given name, wondered as to how Harry acquired such intense power and what triggered its release. All of them shivered in fear at the thought of having that power directed at them with its owner intent on harming his target. They all promised themselves not to do anything foolish to anger Harry not knowing that a blonde raven would remove the memory from their minds saying, "**It's not yet time for you to fear HIS power.**" So, the next day, only the adults remembered it for the raven considered them matured enough not to fear their saviour, especially when he'd be the one to help them redeem all of wizard-kind from its great follies to the rest of the world.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

This is the next instalment to Descend to Darkness...

If you don't like the Sorting Hat song that I composed then I'm sorry since I find it hard to compose something with a set theme like that type of song...

I decided to put the two ideas together due to the suggestion of a friend of mine... He also suggested the title of this chapter...

I do hope that you caught on to where it came from... :-)

Tell me if the story is starting to become confusing and I'd try to rectify it as soon as possible...

Can you guess who the blonde raven is and what said raven is to the story?

By the way, here's the list of all the main characters' capabilities:

Harry Potter – is a soul-mage and has empathy, skill in mind-magic, wand-less ability, mage-sense, and ability for magical infusion. His darkness affinity also allows him the increase in the level of his offensive spells, ritual magic, and shadow manipulation. He also has great skills in potions, and crafting. His amulet merely enhances his abilities to allow him better control and has no other special powers.

Neville Longbottom – is an earth-mage who's proficient in natural magic and wards. His gifted amulet serves also as another power source.

Hermione Granger – is a water-mage that is proficient in defensive spells and healing. Her soon to be given amulet will also increase her abilities.

Luna Lovegood – is a seer gifted with empathy and mage-sense that allows her to widen her casting range. She will also be given an amulet that would increase her powers.

Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, and Blaise Zabini – are gifted with amulets that gives them specialized abilities.

That would be all for now...

Can you guys help me decide whether to give Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil their own amulets as well?

I would really appreciate your input...

Next on Chapter 8: the events that would take place on the first quarter of the year (September to half of November)

Enjoy...

Kyuubi04...


	8. Chapter 8: School Blues

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 8: **School Blues

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

=_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

The whole school awakened to the start of classes and most of the students were quite reluctant to leave their beds.

Hoping that no one would notice his absence, Harry slipped away from his dormitory earlier than usual and proceeded to do his usual training routine. Unfortunately, there was someone who was almost of the same mind as him and the two ended up meeting near the lake.

Seeing Draco, Harry gave a soft smile of greeting that was returned with an acknowledging nod before the two moved away from each other. Harry, towards the headmaster's office and Draco, towards his godfather's domain.

Since no one was quite awake yet, Harry managed to arrive at his destination without any fuss. The gargoyle guarding the headmaster's tower immediately opened up at the sight of him and he entered the place without hesitation. Upon his entrance, he saw the sorting hat and, for his amusement, placed it on his head. The old artefact awakened when he sensed that he was being tried on. He was about to dissect Harry's mind when Harry said, while holding his laughter, "**Hold it, Siegfried. I already have my own house so there's no need to sort me out.**"

Surprised the hat gave a semblance of having his mouth opened in surprise. It was gaping so much that the teen couldn't help but add, "**Surprised? You didn't think that I'd forget your name, eh? After all, I'm the one who gave it to you on a whim.**"

"**How?**" Was the hat's only reply.

Harry gave himself a smirk and remarked, "**Well, I decided that it's no fun to stay dead so I came back.**"

"**You still haven't changed, eh Salazar. Or should I say, Mr. Potter?**" The hat slyly replied.

"**You've got me there. Hmmm, anything's fine really since I'm both but it'd be better to call me by my current name.**"

"**I see. So, what are you doing in the headmaster's office? Surely, you didn't do any pranks as of yet? It's only the first day of term, you know.**"

"**Of course not! I merely wanted to speak with Professor Dumbledore about something so he could announce it at breakfast today.**" Harry scowled, indignant at the insinuation. After all, Godric was the only one that he tried to prank here at Hogwarts and no one else.

The hat merely gave a gruff chuckle and proceeded to ask Harry about his current situation, gaining ample knowledge to learn some of his plans. After a few moments more, the hat twisted itself and asked the sleeping phoenix perched beside the table to summon the headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore arrived in front of his visitor after receiving a peck from his familiar. Fawkes somehow communicated to him that Harry was waiting for him so he immediately donned his purple robe designed with star forming different constellations and headed towards his office.

Upon his arrival, the aged wizard asked the silent teen, "**What brings you here, Harry my boy?**"

"**I came here to ask a favour from you, Professor.**" Harry politely replied, stifling his laughter over the older man's choice in wardrobe.

"**What is it?**" Dumbledore answered, his eyes twinkling in full force.

"**Do you remember the Hogwarts rule that would force two parties from different houses to have a truce especially after war-time in order to promote goodwill and such things?**" The teen tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible hoping that the old man wouldn't know the reason for his question. Unfortunately for him, even without legilimency, Dumbledore still saw through his facade.

"**Very well, I'd activate it upon you and Mr. Malfoy but just to be sure, do you understand the consequences of your request?**"

Harry sighed a bit and replied, "**Yes I am. I believe that it would be beneficial for the both of us to do so. After all, it would be better for the student body to think that we gained a tentative friendship because of this rule and would not be suspicious if we somehow became closer this year. After all, having to room with someone is less troublesome than dealing with a protesting student body.**"

The headmaster tried to hide his glee. He knew it! Harry didn't know that during the four times that the rule was activated, all the pairs ended up being together. He smiled at the thought of both boys. He could already see little babies with tufts of black and silver. He knew that he shouldn't keep it from Harry but he believed that the boy, even with his adult perception still had no experience when it comes to loving someone. He just hoped that this time, the chances of the fifth pair going together would be hundred percent.

Harry gave the old man a suspicious stare. He didn't like the manic gleam that seemed to have entered the man's eyes. However, since the headmaster agreed to his request, he decided to brush it off as the wizard forming another scheme of his. Only this time, he didn't know that the scheme was directed at him. Later, he'd probably recall this moment and wonder about the old wizard's sanity.

After speaking more with the headmaster, the teen departed the tower and headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast. He was, after all, anticipating a major response from the student body once Dumbledore activated the rule which would bind both his and Draco's magic that would connect them to each other. He began formulating plans on how they could perform their soon-to-be duties and calmly walked towards his destination.

-x-x-x-

Draco Malfoy was walking soundlessly towards the dungeons. He wanted to speak with his godfather since his father wasn't around to clarify things for him. He just wished that Severus Snape would be able to answer him.

Severus Snape was generally not a happy man, but right now, he was exceptionally irked. First, he was being deprived of his sleeping time because his godson thought that it would be great to visit him almost after dawn. Second, said godson was asking him questions that didn't even involve potions. And third, those questions were about his godson's love-life, which he held no interest, whatsoever, to learn about. He was tuning out everything that Draco was saying when he suddenly heard the teen say the name "Potter".

He paddled-back a bit and listened carefully to Draco, who was saying, "**So, I'm really confused now, Uncle Sev. Last year, he was the same as before but during vacation, he seemed to be different. It's as if he matured or something. Looking at him now, he's more akin to being an able-bodied politician with the power to back it up instead of being a bull-headed soldier that always rushes towards danger. Do you know the reason why he suddenly changed?**"

Severus scowled at this. He didn't like it at all. His godson was once again prattling about the boy like he was back to being eleven. He thought that Draco finally got over his obsession of Potter. But, then again, the Malfoy heir had a point. Harry Potter had indeed changed. And it seemed that the meddling old man knew something about it and was not going to share the information. He looked at the teen squarely and replied, "**I do not know Draco. If you are really curious, then, why don't you ask the boy yourself?**"

Draco shifted a bit and retorted a bit loudly, "**Really, Uncle Sev, Potter probably wouldn't answer me. It's not like we're the best of friends.**"

"**Then, how do you suppose to satisfy this obsession of yours, my dear godson?**" The Potions Master replied sarcastically, his patience wearing thin.

Draco frowned at his godfather but refrained from saying something insulting. He, instead, replied, "**I am not obsessed, just curious.**" Really, he already got over his initial fascination with the Boy-Who-Lived when he first met him at Hogwarts. This time, he merely wanted to solve the puzzle that his rival was becoming. He gave a resigned sigh and said, "**If you can't give me a proper answer, then, I guess, I'm going to breakfast now. See you later, Uncle Sev.**"

Before allowing the teen to leave, Severus apologized for being caustic and explained that his temper was not as it usually was during mornings. Draco accepted the apology with a smile and left, leaving the older man to think on his godson's words. Recalling his last encounter with the boy, Severus agreed that Harry Potter had indeed changed. It seemed to him that after Black's brush with death, Potter mellowed a bit and became calmer, if his colleagues' praises were to go by. He cleared his thoughts and summoned a house-elf to bring him his food and prepared for his first class, which was with the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins. He didn't realize that he was going to miss the event that would soon take place.

-o-o-o-

Both teens entered the Great Hall and seated themselves in their respective house tables. One was anticipating the announcement that would soon come while the other was pondering over his earlier conversation with his godfather.

After ensuring that most of the students were already in the Hall, the headmaster stood from his place at the staff table and made a motion to catch everybody's attention. As soon as all of the students present were looking at him along with most of the Professors, Dumbledore cleared his throat and announced, "**Due to the recent defeat of Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known to us as Lord Voldemort, I have decided to activate one of Hogwarts' Ancient Rules, in order to promote goodwill among the students. This rule will be symbolized by the binding of two conflicting individuals amongst all of you. Of course, not just any individual would do. I will be choosing the pair that served as the leaders that divided the school due to their enmity against each other. Although some of you may not agree, I do believe that it would serve us best if Messrs. Potter and Malfoy would end their conflict and have a truce with each other. After all, their conflict was brought about by false ideas that most of us here still harbour. It would be highly appreciated if every one of you would give their support and make the application of this rule a success.**"

At this pause, the students stared at the two, hoping to see their reactions. True to form, both teens had the expected horrified looks that their schoolmates wanted to see. To them, Harry was looking like he was going to protest being bound to his enemy, while Draco was acting like he was supposed to and was looking outraged by the pronouncement.

Satisfied with their reaction, Dumbledore continued, "**As the current headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I, Albus Dumbledore, hereby activate the Pact of Reconciliation and bestow upon Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy the 'Link of Hope' to bind them together as the symbol of balance within this school. This is to promote for the restitution of peace within the students affected by the war brought on by one of Hogwarts' children.**"

At this, the Great Hall seemed to glow with power and from the ceiling came a golden chain that descended upon both teens and bound them together through magic.

Harry and Draco felt their magical cores make adjustments for the connection that was established between them. It seemed to them that their magical wavelength had synchronized with each other. Harry tested the bond and tried to see into Draco's surface thoughts. He chuckled at the surprise that the blonde was feeling and whispered mentally, =_**How do you feel, Draco?**_=

Draco almost jumped in surprise when he heard Harry's voice. He turned to face the boy and saw Harry smirk his way. He tried to answer mentally, =_**Is this due to the chain?**_=

=_**Yes. It also looks like we can try to see each other's surface thoughts if we want to.**_= Harry replied.

Draco was curious as to how Harry knew of this but dismissed it for later when the headmaster spoke again.

Dumbledore smiled as soon as the ritual had taken effect. He continued, "**Now, the Link of Hope has bound the two of them together and would give them temporary connection with each other. The Link would disentangle itself from them as soon as it feels that balance has been restored. Meaning, it is semi-sentient and can feel the emotions within the castle as long as it is worn by someone, Messrs. Potter and Malfoy in this case. The two of them are supposed to act as mediators among any of you who have conflicting sentiments about the outcome of the war and will be responsible in preventing harm from befalling all of you due to the tension. I sincerely hope that you, as students of Hogwarts, would cooperate.**"

As soon as he was done, he sent a message, via a house-elf, to tell Harry that their room had been prepared and all their things were already transferred.

The students were talking animatedly. Their reactions were varied. Some, mostly the Hufflepuffs, were happy that the headmaster had taken action to try and ease their doubts by having two of the most influential students act as mediator. The others, like the Ravenclaws, were sceptic about it. They didn't think that by just binding two students together would even out the tension that most of them, especially the lower years, were feeling. After all, even though it wasn't a full-blown war, just knowing that their respected ministry tried to keep the public from knowing the truth about the Dark Lord's revival and subsequent demise had planted seeds of doubts for authority inside of them. The Slytherins and Gryffindors were in agreement with their reaction. Both houses were angry that their key figures would have to be bound together. The lions thought that the snakes would eat Harry out alive while the snakes believed that the lions would endanger their Ice Prince due to the Golden Boy's penchant for danger.

Ron Weasley was the most vocal about it, followed by Seamus Finnegan. The two were trying to gain their housemates' sympathies by appealing that they have to ask the headmaster to retract the rule. After all, it would not do to have their hero tainted by the 'slimy' snakes.

Hermione, Neville and Luna were fine about it. After all, they knew that the members of both houses couldn't possibly do anything against one of the two since it might endanger the other. Therefore, they would be in a stalemate and had to tone down their animosity with each other. It's very beneficial to the cause that the headmaster was spearheading since most of the imbalance was caused by the dispute among the lions and the snakes. The three thought that it was a wise move.

Blaise, Pansy and Theo also came to the same conclusion and decided to try and cooperate, for once. Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe were even seen smirking at the scene that was playing out. They liked the fact that their job as bodyguards would be easier since the Gryffs would have to tread carefully around the Malfoy heir.

As for the two people in question, they were mentally speaking with each other, discussing how they would play things out and wondering how they could serve as mediators for the students. They didn't notice that their eyes had blanked out a bit and were surprised when their friends nudged them for attention while giving them worried looks.

Draco thought, =_**I guess we have to practice being able to speak with each other without spacing out.**_=

Harry affirmed and replied, =_**Yeah. I don't like the idea of people thinking that we've gone bonkers because of this rule.**_=

With that, they conversed with their respective friends about it while pretending to be upset but willing to try it out just to make it easier for them. After the pandemonium that was breakfast, all the students headed to their classes.

-x-x-x-

Although the chain was no longer visible, the pair could feel its pull and decided that maintaining a half-kilometre distance from each other was the limit for being too far apart, unless if they want to feel uncomfortable of course. The sixth years from both of their houses acted as barriers between them in an attempt to defy the new rule.

As they reached the classroom, Harry decided to play around a bit. He purposely went and sat beside Draco, saying that he was feeling a bit prickly and thought that maybe it was because the bond was new and therefore, the two of them should be near each other. Draco agreed saying that he would rather endure 'Potter's' presence than to fail in performing perfectly the potion that 'Professor Snape' would assign to them. Both houses accepted their reasons a bit reluctantly and seated themselves appropriately.

To say that Severus was surprised would be an understatement. He was actually very flabbergasted to see his godson and Potter willingly sitting together. He blinked his eyes a bit to see if he wasn't hallucinating and when he realized that he was not; he gave a disbelieving sigh and began with his usual lecture. He instructed them to brew the Draught of Living Death, thinking that since they were already N.E.W.T. students, they probably wouldn't make careless mistakes that would blow their cauldron up. He was actually thankful that he didn't have Longbottom and Weasley in his class, although he was surprised that Potter was able to make it.

The whole class listened attentively to what the professor was saying and as soon as Severus was done, the class moved to gather the ingredients necessary. Harry, however, decided to review the instructions, forcing Draco to stand up and gather their ingredients himself. After his initial review of the given potion, Harry lit up the fire and placed their cauldron on top of it. When Draco returned with the appropriate items, the pair began their work. Subtly, Harry manoeuvred himself so as to be able to move as precisely as possible.

Draco watched curiously as his partner prepared the ingredients meticulously as any potions master would do. Even though the other boy made no move to brew the potion himself, the Malfoy heir felt the concentration that his partner was showing was bit different from usual. He wondered if this was another change that he would have to puzzle out from the boy.

With a few minutes before end of class, the pair managed to brew the potion perfectly. The two looked around to see which pairs were finished and noted that Hermione managed to brew it well with Blaise Zabini as her current partner, since Harry opted to pair with Draco. Crabbe and Goyle, who surprisingly passed their O.W.L.s made an acceptable brew. Theo and Pansy's was brewed finely. And Dean and Seamus' turned out okay. As for the rest, they were unable to finish their work considering that what they actually did was just the preliminary form of the potion and not the more potent one.

Labelling their vials, the students placed their handiwork on Severus' table to be graded while the professor dismissed them from their classroom.

-o-o-o-

Most of their classes turned out nicely. Transfigurations and Charms were classes that they didn't share with the Slytherins so Ron didn't have anything to complain about. As for Harry, he was becoming a bit uncomfortable during both classes since he was far from Draco who was suffering in his History and Defense classes as well.

And since Harry dropped Divination already, he was obligated to join Draco during Runes and Arithmancy, classes which he was only too happy to attend, since this were the classes that Draco took on alternate days instead of Divinations.

-x-x-x-

As soon as all of their classes ended, Harry and Draco were directed to the chamber that they would occupy for the duration of the year. It was situated on the West Wing of the castle and the reincarnated teen realized that it was actually part of his original chambers before the school was established. It was quite spacious and was painted quite nicely in burgundy and beige. It had three interconnected rooms, two of which were the bedrooms while the third was the common room. It also had its own private bathroom situated in-between the bedrooms. The pair settled in. Draco took the left room while Harry took the right. Deciding to forgo dinner in the Great Hall, Harry summoned Dobby, who was ecstatic to be of service, and asked for a light dinner for the two of them.

After eating their dinner, the two did their assignments and slept the night off.

-o-o-o-

The next day, the pair woke up a bit startled. Then, they remembered that they were already settled to their new quarters. They took turns on who's going to use the bath and prepared for their classes. Harry bid Draco a good morning and went out of their room first. He was surprised to know that he was unable to wake up at his preferred hour of the day, which was after the break of dawn.

Draco soon followed after him and they met at the Great Hall for breakfast. Both of them were questioned as to their location last evening and the two gave the excuse of settling down on their new quarters, satisfying their friends for the moment.

Classes went on as usual. Ron was trying to gain sympathy for Harry still by trying to antagonize the Slytherins but since the snakes had no intention of taking his bait, only a few took him seriously. Draco's peers thought it best to act diplomatically towards Harry and his gang. They imagined that since only Ron was the only one acting like a spoiled brat, then it would only be safe for them to assume that the rest came to the same realization as they did.

-x-x-x-

For one and a half month, Hogwarts school life seemed to turn out normally. Without the daily bickering between the Snakes and Lions, the student body as well as the teachers assumed that the peace would last long up until the end of the school year. It's just too bad that they were mistaken.

For Harry, on the other hand, normal would mean that he was able to go in and out of Hogwarts without anyone noticing his continued absence. Dumbledore allowed him to use his office to occasionally appear to the public as Lord Moonhaven. He was continuously gathering information about the present condition of the Wizarding World and was very much baffled as to why Cornelius Fudge was still in position. He was also irritated by the fact that due to Fudge's incompetence, the wizards were still alienating the beings that they refer to as Dark Creatures. He was quite frustrated with the situation. He was trying to act as a mediator for them and yet the fools were throwing it away due to their prejudice.

Meanwhile, Draco was having a great time. Without his constant verbal assault with Harry, he realized that he was able to enjoy his time at Hogwarts better than he usually did. He smiled at himself and recalled the interactions that he had with the boy-hero. IT was quite enlightening and confusing at the same time. He hardly noticed that Harry was disappearing from time to time but somehow, especially in their quarters, Harry was becoming a calming presence for him. He wondered if the boy accepted his friendship back then, would these things happen now.

The two spent their time peacefully. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. And for Harry, his ending would be something that would hurt him far deeper than he would have expected.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

This is the next instalment.

I guess, I deviated from my original plan and separated the two major events that I would want to happen.

In the next chapter, a plot would be revealed and a friendship broken...

How Harry will handle it, I wonder...

Until next time, Kyuubi04


	9. Chapter 9: The Sting of Betrayal

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 9: **The Sting of Betrayal

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

=_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

There's only a week left before the thirty-first of October. Everyone at Hogwarts was busy preparing for the upcoming feast.

In-between the preparations, Harry and Draco were made busy by trying to break up arguments between the students, mostly those started by Ron and some of the most incorrigible Gryffindors and Slytherins, and it left them frustrated. Somehow, they realized that the peace that they had the previous month suddenly vanished after the shock of having their leaders bound together dissipated. The two were only grateful that the Hufflepuffs were putting an effort to help them while the Ravenclaws tended not to participate in the squabbles.

Even bound together, the pair still managed to live their lives separately, both spending time with their peers during vacant periods, while getting to know each other better inside their quarters. They still tried to act antagonistically with each other, in order to mislead some of their peers, but not so much as to instigate another major conflict within Hogwarts. During their mixed classes, the preferred to pair up with each other so as to further understand their connection. They knew that they could speak telepathically and surf each other's surface thoughts but somehow within the span of a month, they realized that they were also capable of feeling whenever one or the other was in danger.

This happened during one of Harry's quidditch practice. The teen had thought that someone imagined that doing another Dobby on him during practice would free Draco of their connection. However, it only served to deepen their link when Draco came rushing to the pitch and inquire as to 'What the hell was that annoying feeling of being chased!' to which Harry just laughed and recapped his experience much to the bemusement of most of his teammates and the irritation of both Weasleys. After that incident, another one happened in which Draco became a target of one 'stray spell' that Harry managed to deflect when he suddenly appeared from behind a suit of armour after another of his escapades as Gerald. Harry tried to find the culprit but was unable to so since almost everyone left their magical residue on the place. Draco asked him how he managed to intervene quickly and he replied that he suddenly felt a certain type of tension from Draco, a tension that signifies that a body was waiting to block an attack of any form. And thinking logically, since Hogwarts was a magic school, he imagined that the attack would be in the form of a spell and was actually thankful that he was in the vicinity to deflect it. In truth, Harry simply commanded Hogwarts to open a temporary passage for him, which was the purpose of all the hidden alcoves in the castle.

So far, the two were enjoying their time and were worrying about nothing in particular. Harry even put his actual plans on hold because he trying to enjoy his second life as it is. He even managed to spend some time with his godfather while his partner did the same with his. To the adults who knew who he really was, it was a relief to see him act like a teenager and not as an adult. To his true friends, they were happy to finally have him act as carefree as he was acting now. Even the teachers, they thought that without the threat of Voldemort, the young man was finally able to relax and enjoy himself. Even Draco and his peers wondered as the sudden change in Harry's demeanour. It seemed to them that the Golden Boy was acting like he was freed from some sort of chain. They imagined that knowing the reason of his fame must have been a burden rather than a gift.

As for Draco, the Slytherins marvelled at the softness that was entering their Prince's face. They realized that trying to antagonize Harry during the last five years must have only added to the tension that he was feeling when the so-called Dark Lord was still around. Most of them were really relieved to see the young blonde become free of his own shackles just like them. Even the older one smiled had thought that maybe, being paired to Harry Potter was doing Draco some good, and through Draco, them as well.

Unfortunately, there were a few who were unhappy about these changes in the atmosphere. For one, Ron Weasley was acquiring some followers on his crusade to deactivate the rule. He even managed to find some Ravenclaws and Slytherins to join him, and that was actually a wonder. At first, Ginny Weasley didn't seem to balk at the idea of having peace with the Snakes, but soon, this idea was going to shatter and would make the wheels of fate turn once again, not with another prophecy, but with the action that a certain lord would take as soon as he learns of this.

-x-x-x-

Ginny Weasley was proud of herself, she even managed to confound one of the house-elves to put the potion on Harry plate as soon as the feast would begin. Soon, she would be the future Mrs. Potter, the wife of the famous defeater of the Dark Lord. Soon, all of her dreams would come to fruition. She could hardly wait for the potion to take effect.

She seduced Seamus Finnegan to help her brew the potion, since she didn't have the resources to collect the ingredients alone, and she was sure that asking Know-It-All Granger would only hinder her plan. As she was discussing it with her co-conspirator, she failed to realize that someone overheard them.

-o-o-o-

Harry was beyond furious. How dare that girl think that he would fall for such a cheap trick? He wasn't a Potion's Master for nothing, albeit a master from a thousand years ago. Is this how ambition could blind even the most innocent person? Or is this a side-effect of the taint that had been left by Riddle? He was angry and yet he didn't want to vent it towards another, afraid to do anyone harm. As he furiously paced the hall, he hadn't realized that he was heading to the actual entrance of his chamber, the entrance that Solivan failed to see. It was located on the farther end of the West Wing, just a bit away from his current quarters. He hissed the password onto the portrait of Mistress Moonhaven, a lovely blonde of a woman with sapphire eyes. She appeared to be a soft lady but one look at her eyes would tell that she was more than aware of her surroundings. Back then, He, as Salazar, didn't understand why his Mistress gave him her portrait. But now, he understood. Somehow, Marianne Moonhaven imbued her portrait with magical abilities by redirecting her soul inside it instead of allowing herself to be reincarnated like the usual souls. Although, she could no longer walk the earth, one could still feel her presence once she wished it. He decided to place her as the guardian of his chambers, fully knowing that she'll be able to hide it from those who didn't deserve to learn everything that he knew. All of his researches, even his teaching quarters, were inside the Chamber of Secrets. Too bad, Tom Riddle hadn't dared to venture farther than the special gate that he opened that was now located in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. If he did, he would have realized what he was actually trying to teach his students and not the trash that history told that he did. His talent was wasted and Harry regretted not being able to open the man's eyes to the truth of the matter.

One's inside, he could feel the eyes of his former Mistress follow him as she settled on a frame identical to the one outside the chamber. She watched as he entered his training room and unleashed the anger that he was feeling. He threw spells that would be considered dark if the ministry learned of their nature. He destroyed everything that appeared on the room, venting his frustration and disbelief on the inanimate objects that surrounded him.

-x-x-x-

Outside the chamber, everyone could feel sudden tremors coming from within the castle. The older one even felt the strength of the magic behind these tremors. They shivered at the thought of someone having enough power to shake the foundations of a castle as fortified with magic as Hogwarts.

Dumbledore was looking grim. He recognized the magical signature that drifted from within the castle. It was still fresh and quite strong. He knew that Harry, before knowing of his true self, being a Child of Prophecy, would be a very powerful wizard, but not like this. He could just imagine what accumulating a mountain of experience and constant increase in magical potential could do to bring out such enormous strength inside his favoured student. He was only thankful that he knew that Harry wasn't going to take the baton that Tom had left, because if he did, the Wizarding World would be doomed. After all, even without followers, the skill and power that the boy now possessed could probably overpower several of the trained wizards in Britain. And with his mind, if the sorting hat was correct in his description, being the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin would give Harry Potter the edge to take on anything that he wished to do.

Sirius and Remus, being around Harry after the revelation of his existence, recognized his signature as well. They understood that this power was actually magnified by the strength of the wizard's emotions. And anger was the only emotion they knew that could bring out such an intense power. They only wished that whoever angered their godson knew what he or she was doing.

Luna Lovegood was looking quite grimly at her surroundings. She had already 'seen' this event but nothing could have prepared her for the intensity of its effects. She understood that both as Harry and as Salazar, her friend valued everyone close to him as a special person. And the only thing that could set him off on a rampage such as this was betrayal. She had seen it once. Even though she wasn't Harry's friend two years ago, she understood the look that entered his eyes when Ron Weasley declared his detachment from Harry when the Boy-Who-Lived was announced to become a champion. She was clearly watching him back then, knowing that he would play an important part in the future, and she was just glad that he hadn't awakened at that time or else, things would have gotten from bad to worse. This time, however, she was happy to have him back to his old self, especially since he managed to hasten the turning of the wheels. And if Harry does the right thing, he would leave the wizarding world a legacy that would survive longer than a thousand years.

Neville and Hermione who were sitting together on the Gryffindor common room, apart from the ranting Ron, who was oblivious to his surroundings, felt Harry's magic. They recognized it from being in his presence constantly. But somehow, they found it different from usual. They never imagined that the calm rain of magic that was usually surrounding their friend would turn out into something akin to a raging storm. They had felt glimpses of it when the scarred boy was getting angry or hyped up but that was nothing compared to the tremors that he was causing now. The felt a shiver run down their spines and felt afraid for the person who angered the defeater of Voldemort. They were only too glad that Harry was a kind person and would never actually resort to murdering someone, but it was only a minor consolation for them.

Draco, on the other hand, felt his partner's magic through their link. At first, he never understood why he hadn't felt Harry's magic through their bond when he knew that the other teen felt his. Now, he wished that he could still not feel it, because now that it was as unrestrained as it was, Draco could feel shivers of fear creeping into him. He didn't want to be afraid of the other boy but the extreme anger and frustration that he recognized as emotions coming from the boy-hero seeped into his being, he couldn't help but fear. Fear for the person who caused this emotional turmoil, fear for those that would have suffered the backlash of his magic if he didn't know that the other boy would never unleash something like this to somewhere that could harm others, and fear for himself because he was the one living with this well of power that could turn from being calm and controlled into a raging inferno that would swallow anything in its path. He looked at his friends and realized that although they hadn't felt it as closely as he did, they still felt the magic that his partner was releasing. Thank goodness that they were unable to recognize the magical aura since they never did spend some time with Potter as much as he did now.

Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnegan had felt it too. But they decided to ignore it. One, in favour of savouring the imaginary fruition of her plans, while the other, was oblivious to the fact that he merely a puppet to Ginny's game. It's sad really. One was getting lost in her ambitions and the other was already lost to his delusions. No one would have said the Seamus was a bad guy, but his decision of abandoning his best friend for someone who didn't even see him, was just pathetic.

Dean Thomas, even in his solitude, managed to bring his head out of its haze to recognize what was happening. But he simply didn't care. Ginny was his girlfriend but after he declined her request of brewing a love potion for Harry Potter, she broke it off with him, taking away his best friend to do her bidding. At first, he wanted to hate Harry but seeing that the boy was changing, softening to the world, he just couldn't. But that's not to say that he's the same with Ginny and Seamus. He despised them now since he knew that the girl only saw him as a tool and when her target didn't take the bait, she left and chose another route. He was just thankful that he realized how shallow the girl was before he got serious about their relationship or he would have lived his life bitterly.

Parvati Patil felt it too but she was more engrossed with her conversation with her best friend to pay it any heed. She was only too happy to have Lavender back with her. Although it was just a shallow happiness, she was still glad that her friend finally decided to give her some of her time. Too bad, when she realized that the other girl was merely trying to convince her to join Ron's crusade, she was highly devastated. She thought bitterly that maybe, spending five years together wasn't just enough to keep a friend's loyalty. She couldn't really understand why the redhead wanted to deactivate the rule when it was doing the school some good. It's like he was trying to have the previous status quo reinstated, which was actually quite foolish in her mind. Couldn't they see that the school now was better than it was before, without the prejudice becoming a wall, more students were able to interact and share opinions; some even became the best of friends in just a month.

Severus Snape, at first thought that he merely imagined it, but as soon as the tremors continued, he decided that he was dreaming. He didn't recognize the owner of the magic that was pouring into the castle but he understood that it was someone strong and very emotional. He imagined that after his initial shock of learning his godson was now bound to Potter, nothing more could surprise the hell out of him. But it seemed that he was wrong, the owner of this power would be a pillar of their world if he or she used it for the better. He gave a deep sigh and acquired a contemplative look. He tried to search his memory of someone here in Hogwarts that had enough power to shake the castle but none came to mind. He didn't want to even contemplate the idea of the owner being Harry Potter so he immediately dismissed the boy from his mind. Without obtaining his answers, he decided that it was high time to speak with the headmaster. With that, he left his quarters and searched for the wily old man.

-o-o-o-

As soon as he managed to calm his raging emotions, his thoughts began to wonder back onto the feeling of being watched. He tried to resume his calm facade but failed miserably so he simply turned and faced his Mistress.

Marianne was eying him, recognizing him for who he really was. She was scrutinizing every part of him. Harry even felt that the woman could see through him with just one look.

"**What is it, Mistress Moonhaven?**" Harry asked in order to divert those eyes from himself.

"**You haven't changed a bit, Salazar.**" The beautiful lady replied, "**You still allow your emotions to get the better of you and yet you're still aware enough to vent it without involving others.**" Her voice was cool but the way she answered expressed many things that only the two could understand.

"**Is it bad that I haven't changed, Mistress?**" Harry replied a bit hesitantly.

"**No, I guess not. But I just hope that you'd be able to manage them better. After all, it would not do for all the inhabitants of this castle to know of your power and treat you as a threat to them.**"

"**I would try my best, Mistress.**" The teen replied as calmly as he could but inside he was still trying to suppress the rage that was trying to unleash itself once again.

"**Something is bothering you. Would you not tell me? After all, I did choose this form to be of assistance to you.**" The lady replied softly but piercingly.

Harry gulped but replied nonetheless, pouring the hurt that he had felt and the anger that's been trying to claw its way out of his system through his voice, "**I just learned that someone I considered to be my sister is planning to drug me with a love potion just to claim the title of being the wife of the defeater of the greatest dark lord of all times. It's funny really, I thought that she's fine with being my friend, after all, she already had a boyfriend but I guess, it wasn't enough for her.**" He couldn't help but express his bitterness. This was a similar feeling that he had when he realized that his very own flesh and blood had set him up to be killed.

Marianne eyed him once again, recognizing the feelings that he was expressing. She was just like that two, and that's why he chose Salazar to be her personal apprentice and successor. He was a good kid from the beginning, always wanting to please but not so willing to trust. It took her some years to fully drag the boy out of his shell and realized that once he came to care for someone, he would treasure and protect that person even at the expense of his own life. But, that's what made it more difficult for him, because he had difficulty in managing his emotions when it comes to having someone betray him. She understood full, after all, she was like that once, before she met four of her companions. She just hoped that she'd be able to guide the boy as well as she did all those years ago before she finally left the living world and joined her comrades.

"**You mustn't let that ruin your view of your friends. I'm sure you have friends that are real and would stay by your side no matter what you do or pull you back if ever you've strayed from your path. You're a strong person, Salazar. Suffering betrayals is not rare but it's not common either. You must simply learn from this experience and realize that the world isn't the ideal place that you usually dreamt about. Beside what would Godric, Rowena and Helga think if they saw you like this? You were always the one with the tactical mind, my dear, so use your head and put your heart at rest.**" Marianne chided him lightly.

Harry smiled and answered, "**Thank you for reminding me, Mistress. I guess I needed that.**"

After that, the two settled in a comfortable silence, basking in the presence of each other. Once another hour had passed, Harry stood and said, "**I'll be leaving now, Mistress. I do not want to miss the feast. I promise that I would return since I have some questions to ask from you.**"

"**Very well, until I see you again, Salazar.**"

With that, Harry headed to the Great Hall and settled himself at his house table. It was All Hallows Eve and it seemed quite ironic to Harry that no matter what, he just couldn't escape having to face some sort of misfortune on this date. He smiled a bit wryly and greeted his friends who were waiting anxiously at him. He realized that they must have felt his magic coming from the chamber and judging from their faces, they were worried about him. To appease their worries he made a motion to say that he they would know later.

-x-x-x-

Ginny was anticipating the end of the feast when Harry would declare his undying love for her. But, unfortunately for, she didn't count on the fact that Harry could have taken precautions against such attempts. And for that Harry was quite thankful because even though it would be easy to recognize a drugged food, it would be hard to counter it without knowing the exact ingredients of the potion used in it. He thanked the gods that being a soul keeper had its benefits because if not for that, it would take him a long time to battle the potion out of his system.

After the feast, Harry decided to play along with Ginny a bit and stood up pretending to be affected by the potion. Ginny tried to suppress a smirk, thinking that she succeeded, only to be shocked by what Harry had said next.

"**Ginny, it's a shame really, you know.**" Harry voice was frozen and it caught everyone's attention.

Ginny gulped, frightened by the anger that she saw from those cold emerald eyes, "**What is it, Harry?**"

"**I trusted you like a sister, and yet you seem to forget that I am not as nice as your family.**"

"**What do you mean?**" There was a tremble in her voice, the coldness of Harry's voice was getting to her and it was scary. Even the on-lookers were now able to feel the boy's suppressed rage.

"**I mean to say, that though I consider you important to me, it doesn't mean that I'd just sit back and do nothing when you tried to drug me with a love potion.**" The young man replied smoothly, scaring the young girl more and more with his hidden barbs.

Ron, true to form, rose to defend his sister but his words fell on deaf ears as Harry incanted an unknown spell that showed everyone in the hall the plot that he had witnessed just a while ago.

The students were too absorbed in the knowledge that one of their own tried to do something horrendous to realize that what Harry just did was far more spectacular since it was quite difficult to reproduce a memory without the use of any type of magical tool. The older wizards, however, recognized this and were in awe. Even Snape admitted that it was impressive, albeit reluctantly.

Those who recognized Harry's magic earlier now understood the reason for his rage and pitied the youngest Weasley who ignorantly awakened it just to further her own ambitions. Even Ron was unable to rebuke the fact being shown to them. Ginny was forever shamed because of this. She didn't even stop to think that someone would realize her plan and for that someone to be Harry, it was frightening. She could still feel his eyes on him, those frozen emeralds glistening with something akin to disappointment and anger. Hiding her face from everyone, she ran and left the hall, followed by her brother and Seamus who had the look of a love-sick puppy that it disgusted those who saw it.

-o-o-o-

The rest of Hogwarts were silent. Harry took his seat and sighed a bit woefully, fully knowing that he would lose two friends after this fiasco. He just took comfort from the fact that his other friends stayed with him, comforting him while the rest of the school was merely giving him some pitying looks.

One by one, the students left for their dormitories, leaving Harry alone with his friends. Even Draco, didn't dare to approach him when he felt the blonde move away towards their own quarters. Knowing the time, he bid his friends goodbye and left for the West Wing as well.

Upon entering, he imagined that Draco would throw in a barrage of question but surprisingly the blonde allowed him some time for himself and the two slept the rest of the evening, expecting the effects of this night's event to fully show itself tomorrow.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Well, that's over...

I hope that I'm not moving on too fast with most of the events...

Hope you like this chapter...

Chapter 10: Harry will finally have the answers that he was looking for...

Until next time,

Kyuubi04


	10. Chapter 10: Interlude Sirius' Apology

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 10: **Interlude – Sirius' Apology

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

=_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

The next four days were a blur for Harry. He was only thankful that the students refrained from asking him questions about the All Hallows Eve incident. It also seemed to him that Ron and Ginny were avoiding him. Well, Ginny was avoiding everybody in fear of getting humiliated again. Ron, however, was caught in between getting mad at his sister for her stupid plan or being sympathetic about what had happened during the feast. It didn't help that as soon as their mother heard about it, Molly Weasley had sent a howler during breakfast the next day and was further shamed in front of their peers. Even the groupies that he had acquired left him as soon as Ginny's scheme had been revealed, and by Harry, himself, no less.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out, and the emerald-eyed teen was bombarded with questions. Some even had the gall to pity him for realizing that Ginny was a no-good girl after all. As if! He never ever did show any romantic interest for the girl. Really, these people were so damn nosy that it's irritating. Why couldn't they just stay out of his damn business? But he guessed that he was at fault too for causing such a spectacle on that night. He joined Draco as soon as he was done with his homework for that day and gave the blonde boy a grateful look since, Draco never did inquire about the incident. He decided that since it was weekend tomorrow, he'd visit his godfathers again and probably remind Sirius of their deal.

-x-x-x-

Draco Malfoy was curious but he knew that something would break if he tried to satisfy his curiosity now so he decided to allow the shock to pass before he'd question his partner about it. He understood that Harry was grateful for his silence and he wanted that gratitude to remain for now lest he lose the tentative trust that the scarred boy had given him.

It shocked his friends to discover that he was willing to let things go. They knew that he was the kind of person who demanded answers whenever he wanted to know something but this time, he decided to keep his lips tightly sealed even though it irked him not to know what had really happened. He somehow knew that Harry had affected him more than he wanted to believe. Right now, he was being very patient and it surprised his peers to see how he'd been doing so far.

So, in order to distract himself from his current dilemma, he focused himself on his schoolwork and improved his performance that Blaise was more than willing to thank Harry personally for motivating his best friend to further his academic standing. Although, it sure was a surprise that after all what they did during the last five years just to force Draco to perform up to his full potential, this was the first time that he did without much prompting and it confused him to no end.

As for Theo and Pansy, they were just only too glad to see that Draco wasn't obsessing too much about it like what he would have done had he not been living with Harry before. They knew that Draco's focus on the orphaned boy was because of the stories that he had heard as a child and the hurt at the refusal that he had received at age eleven. Really, it's obvious to see that the blonde was still hung up over it although it wasn't as intense as it was before.

-o-o-o-

Remus was worried for his godson. From what he had noticed from his scent, Harry was in pain right now. What he didn't know, however, was why. Sure, he understood the feeling of betrayal that Harry must be feeling right now but what caught his attention was the constant darkening of his godson's mood and it's making him anxious. He decided not to inform Sirius about it but he couldn't just let it go like that. He needed to confront the teen and he must do it carefully lest he estrange himself from Harry.

Luckily for him, it was a weekend and he was free to communicate with the teen, only he was surprised to learn that the boy had the same intent as he. When he was about to leave his quarters, he was met with dulled emeralds belonging to sullen Harry. He immediately noticed that the pain and anger, that he assumed the boy was feeling, was already consuming him. Although it's not really visible to the naked eye, a good observer with heightened senses such as he could decipher the miniscule changes on the teen's expression and body language.

He motioned his godson to enter and asked if he wanted to have Sirius there as well. Harry, however, declined saying that it would only upset the animagus if he was to learn about what he was going to say now. And adding the fact that Sirius had a temper of a five-year-old, it would not do to have him cause more trouble. Nodding in understanding, Remus prepared two cups of tea, giving one to Harry while taking the other for himself. He sat down on the couch beside the chair that the younger wizard was currently occupying. With both of them seated, the two settled into a comfortable silence, each welcoming the calm that the other had given.

After finishing their tea, Harry began their conversation by relating to him the events that he had witnessed the day of the feast. However, he left the fact that he had an alternative entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in fear that old prejudices would stand true at the most inopportune moment. He waited until the werewolf got hold of his outraged expression before continuing his tale. He, then, told him that this was the third time that he had been betrayed like this and it both saddened and angered him that it was done by those he considered closest to his heart. He recounted Solivan's hand in his assassination, Ron's desertion and subsequent reclamation of their friendship during their fourth year, and now, Ginny's plot to manipulate him into being her husband. He gave an almost mournful sigh and asked, "**Say Remus, what is it that makes the people I trust go behind my back and betray me in such a manner? First, there's Solivan who caused my first death. Then, there's Ron with his biases and petty jealousies. Now, there's Ginny who can't even try to win my heart in the right way. Can't you tell me what I did wrong to make them do this to me, can you?**"

Remus, for his part, showed his anguish, fully knowing that the boy in front of him couldn't muster up the ability to cry for his own misfortune. Even, Moony, his wolf side, cried out for the pain that its self-appointed cub was enduring and trying to contain within himself. He knew that words of encouragement weren't the ones that this boy needed, so he replied using the words that he knew came from the bottom of his heart, "**I don't know, cub. After all, it was their twisted hearts that made them do what they did. But heed me when I say that if they were truly worthy of your trust, in their heart of hearts, they wouldn't even be able to contemplate the idea of betraying you.**"

When he saw that the boy was about to contradict him, he continued, "**Harry, in this lifetime or the last, human nature has always been twisted. You should be able to understand this due to your situation. However, even in their own twisted manner, humans have the innate ability to care for someone. And the closer they hold a person to their hearts, the harder it is for them to do something to cause harm to that someone. So, in hindsight, it's only safe to say that in your life as Salazar, your brother, being unable to be with you, despite understanding the importance of family, doesn't really hold you in high esteem especially when his birthright went over him in order to be passed onto you, therefore, instilling within him a form of righteous anger that had twisted itself into blind hatred, causing him to plot for your demise. Taking that into account, Ron, who have grown up with the idea of befriending a hero, in addition to trying to come out of the shadows of his brothers' accomplishments, was blind to the 'you' who was merely a person and not an icon. Probably, when you became a champion of the school, he had found himself on the sidelines once again and it hurt his pride as well as reinforced his feelings of inferiority towards you, thus, the cause of his abandonment. As for Ginny, I guess that being told stories of the mighty 'Boy-Who-Lived' must have given her the idea that if her brother managed to get you as his best friend then there's no one else that suited as your lover but her. Therefore, since you never did show any inclination to court her, she must have decided to take things in her own hands.**"

Deflated, Harry gave an understanding nod and accepted Remus' explanation with some doubt. Nevertheless, after hearing and accepting it as such, the teen's heart lightened and he gave a soft smile indicating that he wouldn't allow the experience to lead. In addition, it solidified his belief that something had to be done in order to straighten this current society and he'd be one of those who'd start it. Even if it means using all the power and influence that he now had in the palm of his hands. He also decided that if he wished to achieve his goal, he must first determine whether his other friends were not as fickle as the other two, especially Neville and Hermione who holds five powerful families even though two of them only exist in name and not in blood.

Seeing the relieved look on his godson, the werewolf grinned and began to chat amiably with the boy, recounting situations that had occurred during their classes with the lower years. They were chuckling heartily when Sirius entered the room asking, "**Aw man, you guys aren't making fun of me, are you?**"

The two guffawed at this seeing that the animagus was wearing a bright red and gold jumper flashing his face with the words 'A Seriously Serious Sirius'. They turned to him and asked almost at the same time, "**What in the blazing hells is that monstrosity?!**"

Indignant, Sirius replied, "**Monstrosity? Monstrosity! What monstrosity?**"

In between laughter, Harry pointed at his jumper and said, "**That is.**"

The ex-convict huffed and said, "**I'll have you know that this is my best masterpiece ever! It took me two weeks to spell this you know.**"

Remus' eyes lit up at that, "**So that's what you've been doing after class. I've always wondered what you've eaten to last being cooped up in your quarters.**"

Still laughing, the teen continued after his werewolf godfather, "**Really Sirius, aren't you embarrass to wear such a horrendous outfit?**"

"**Why you brat! This is an art that only I, 'The Great Sirius Black' could ever hope to accomplish.**" The childish man puffed his chest proudly and flaunted his jumper rather smugly. While the two muttered some like 'who would want to accomplish something like that anyway?' which made Sirius pounce on them in his dog form, slobbering drool over their robes. At this, the two 'victims' laughed light-heartedly while trying to push the dog away from them.

Their mock-wrestling done, Sirius returned to human form while the other two scourgified the clothes and other places that got caught by the dog animagus' sudden attack. After a few moments, the three continued to share stories, the two pointedly ignoring the flashing jumper that the newly-arrived wizard was wearing for the sake of their burning eyes.

During the middle of their conversation, Harry shot up like he had an epiphany. Bewildered, the two adults asked about it only to receive a smirk in reply. Turning his gaze on Sirius, who gulped, Harry asked, "**Say Sirius, aren't you forgetting something, something that you have promised to do during our stay at Grimmauld Place?**"

"**Huh?**" Came the ignorant reply.

"**You know, an apology to a certain potions master about a certain treatment that he had received from a certain prankster group who called themselves the 'Marauders'.**"

Remus, recalling that conversation, turned expectantly to his friend as well.

He was tempted to say 'no' but seeing that he was being cornered by his family, he gave a look of mock despair and sighed in defeat, "**Okay, okay. I remember it, sort of, anyways.**"

"**Good. Then you could do it now, here at Hogwarts.**" The teen said with an appraising glint in his eyes, challenging Sirius to disagree.

Gulping, Sirius asked weakly, "**Here?**"

"**Yup! After all, there's no better place than Hogwarts, is there?**" Harry added smugly.

His earlier smugness deflating, Sirius pouted, causing Remus to laugh out loud due to his predicament, and said, "**Hmph! Alright, alright. I'll do it.**" And he mentally added, _But I'll do it my way. After all, I have to makes sure that I'd get a few laughs over it._

Not sensing his thoughts, his two companions nodded for different reasons. Harry nodded because he believed that having his godfather apologize would bridge the gap between the two men. Remus did so because he thought that the apology had been overdue ever since that incident.

Harry said his goodbyes and left his godfathers to their own devices, which means leaving a plotting Sirius and a satisfied Remus.

-x-x-x-

Another week had passed and Severus Snape suddenly had a sense of foreboding that was usually triggered by his "Marauder Radar", which meant that a certain prankster was probably planning to do something to him. This so-called radar of his was developed in order to avoid being accosted by James Potter and his crew during his Hogwarts years and had constantly improved due to being overly exposed to a certain mutt who owned their previous headquarters.

Not doubting his senses, he decided to take the necessary precautions in order to avoid any disasters that might befall him and cost him his dignity. He checked himself for any spells that might have leeched themselves into his person and after finding none, he began to cast several protection spells that would most spells from affecting him. Then, he prepared a batch of potions that could probably negate anything that the mutt would throw at him. Sighing grimly, he began to ascend the familiar steps from his dungeons towards the Great Hall where he was required to at least appear during one of the meals.

As he was walking towards his destination, his thoughts carried him to the idea of wanting to find a suitable apprentice to train and be his possible replacement as Potions Professor. He knew that apart from his own house, none of the students gave him the proper respect as an educator. He didn't care about it though. Briefly, he wondered if he would have been a more patient teacher if he had been able to find students with the aptitude and patience to become passable potions brewer during his tenure. As he was thinking about it, his mind showed him the image of a blonde aristocratic heir who approached him six years ago demanding that he take him as his apprentice. Smiling, he thought that if his godson still wished to become his apprentice, he would gladly take him even though he was still as impatient as ever, only if he would ask him again. As his thoughts pondered about Draco, he then connected the boy to another teen that bore the eyes of his best friend. He could not shake the feeling that something major would soon happen and that boy would trigger it dragging his godson along with him.

Shaking his head in an attempt to shake the images off his head, he finally noticed that he was already in front of the side door that connected the Great Hall to the teachers' corridor. Feeling apprehensive, he cautiously opened the door, hoping to find his senses false for the first time. Truthfully, he didn't want to have any kind of encounter with the mutt and had avoided being with him for over a month now. Bracing himself, he walked towards the designated table, robes billowing behind him.

As he was about to take his usual seat on the edge of the table, an explosion of noise suddenly came from the opened front doors of the Great Hall, bringing with it someone who was probably spelled to looks exactly like himself, although instead of wearing his usual scowl, his copy was sporting a huge triumphant grin that belied identity of his impersonator.

He watched darkly as his double gave a mock bow of respect towards the teachers present before reverting into his original form. As he dispelled himself from his glamour, Sirius Black emerged holding a bouquet of multi-coloured roses. Assuredly, the animagus walked the remaining paces towards the scowling potions master. Bowing once again, this time courteously, Sirius schooled his face into a stoic expression and offered him the flowers. Seeing that he was reluctant to take anything he gave him, Sirius muttered a short incantation and the roses glowed giving an eerie sound that must have translated into, "**I, Sirius Orion Black, formally sends my apologies to one Severus Tobias Snape for all past transgressions that have been committed to him by myself and by that of my peers. In hopes of earning his forgiveness, I offer him these roses as a symbol of my sincerity and promise of refraining from tormenting him in any form whatsoever. And if ever I fail to do so, these roses would become proof as every purposeful acts of torment from myself towards his person would cause each of its petal to wilt as a sign that I have dishonoured my vow. So mote it be.**"

As the speech ended, Sirius added to him personally, "**This is not a trick on my part, Snape. I made a promise to do this since someone enlightened me to see the error of my treatment with you.**" Silently, he was berating himself from destroying his own idea of merely giving the flowers to Severus and waiting for him to mock his gift so that he could retaliate like he usually did whenever the other man told him something caustic.

Stunned and a bit apprehensive, Severus accepted the offered gift and replied formally, "**I, Severus Tobias Snape, accept this offered apology upon the belief that no transgressions would be committed upon his person and the promise of one Sirius Orion Black to refrain from accosting myself in any form whatsoever. So mote it be.**"

Suddenly, the silence that encompassed the Hall during their exchange erupted into an applause that reminded the Severus that he had been made into some kind of spectacle once again. Not bothering to finish his lunch, he glided towards his quarters in order to maintain whatever dignity he had left, all the while cursing his carelessness for being caught off guard in such a situation.

As soon as he had entered the privacy of his rooms, he settled the gift into a magically conjured vase and was surprised to have the mutt's words prove true since as soon as he placed the flowers inside the vase, a protective shield encircled it in order to prevent any form of harm to come upon it. Giving a sigh of resignation, he sat on one of his couches, holding a cup of brandy, and contemplated the possible effects of the interchange that he had partaken into with calculating sureness.

-o-o-o-

Sirius watched as Severus walked away from him carrying his offering and smiled a bit wryly. He never thought that by merely making his apology public would cause such a response from the people present, which were merely a quarter of the actual population.

He swivelled his head to search for his godson only to find him staring at him with a prominent frown on his teenage features. Unsure of what he had done wrong, he gave the teen a look that seemed to ask, '_What? It's not like this happened according to plan._'

Thankful for his aptitude in mind magic, Harry merely read the thoughts from his godfather and raised an inquiring eyebrow at his childish guardian.

Feeling a trace of legilimency coming from his godson, he realized that the teen was probably making him aware that he'd just read his thoughts about the whole incident from his mind. Deciding that it was best for his relative safety to explain mentally from that distance, he thought once again, '_I was actually counting on him to disregard my offering so that I'd have one last reason to taunt him, y'know. _' He mentally pouted and imagined a picture of himself publicly taunting Severus while the other man was facing him with nose upturned and mocking him for his choice of offering.

Upon reading those thoughts and seeing the image conjured by his godfather, Harry resisted the urge to quirk his mouth in amusement. Seriously, he should have expected this from his godfather and yet he did not. Shaking his head a bit ruefully at his miscalculation, he thought that he should have added that Sirius apologize in private. Well, there's no use crying over spilt milk. He just hoped that the potions master wouldn't take it as a personal offence.

He gave an understanding nod towards the animagus and proceeded to eat his lunch. Relieved, Sirius grinned and settled himself beside Remus, who merely watched the whole interaction between his pack members amidst the sea of oblivious witnesses. The werewolf merely sighed at the outcome of the event and deeply wished that Severus wouldn't be too incensed about the matter. He was also thankful that there were only a few witnesses of the actual event, although rumours would probably circulate about it, including himself, Minerva and Filius as the only professors present. He didn't know what Albus' reaction would be and didn't want to be in the vicinity while the aged headmaster did something strange in order to show his joy at having two of his previous students reconciling on Hogwarts' grounds.

After that incident, the students present seemed to have forgotten about it as their voices and claps died down as they proceeded to eat their lunch. As for the Slytherins present, they were silently mulling over the events that took place and the effects that this would cause to their Head of House and their general environment. The wheels of their head were turning non-stop as they ate their food in a seemingly perpetual silence.

-x-x-x-

On the other side of the castle, the headmaster received the news of the event that took place in the Great Hall via the spying portraits that reported every happening to him. Albus Dumbledore knowing that none could witness it whooped in joy despite his age. He knew that it was a reluctant reconciliation on Severus' part but, nonetheless, he was overjoyed by the end of the dispute between the two men, whom he considered as one of his precious people.

As he mentally cheered, the headmaster sat on his chair and happily sucked on his lemon drops and merrily continued on tackling his worst enemy, paperwork.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Well, that's the end of this chapter...

Just like what I had said to one of my reviewers, I am utilizing the pros and cons of human nature to my advantage...

You would notice that this story is focused more on the political aspect of our society as well as the showcasing of all the nuances of human beings like their disregard for something that they have grown accustomed with to the point that they fail to notice changes in the degree with which they feel these things.

As for the next chapter, the story would move on with Harry ensuring the truthfulness of his other friends and his complete detachment from Ron and Ginny. I'm also going to show some of his excursions outside of Hogwarts as Gerald and hope that it would enlighten most of you to what I want to achieve in this story.

And as soon as I cemented Harry's identity as a character of this story, I'd probably move on into building up the other major characters. The build up would probably follow this order: Draco, Hermione, Blaise, Neville, Pansy, Luna, Theo, Remus, Severus, Sirius, and Lucius. I still don't know whether I'd make Dean and Parvati into a major influence on Harry's campaign so I'd like your opinion about it.

Thank you for reading this story and please review and give me some feedback, Kyuubi04...


	11. Chapter 11: Unwanted Confrontations

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 11: **Unwanted Confrontations

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

_Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness _– thoughts

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

=_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

The afternoon become quite troublesome for Harry since many were trying to question about what his godfather did to the potions master that could be considered worthy of such grand apology. He shook his head, trying to relieve himself of the oncoming pain that he was about to experience due to the onslaught of questions regarding his godfather. Really, these people just got over the rumours about him and Ginny, and now, they're already having speculations about imaginary lovers' quarrel between Severus Snape and his godfather, no less. If he had been his usual irrational self, then he would have shouted at these guys to stop barraging him with embarrassing questions about things that no teenager should know about their parents or parental figures. He swore that he would choke to death if another gossip monger asked him whether Severus and Sirius failed to get some action together, thus causing the head of Slytherin to be offended by the Black Lord. He sighed and decided that since he didn't have any more classes, he would take the time to rid himself of all the mental images he procured during his interrogation.

He was hoping to have his much wanted rest when he entered his new domain. However, he was mistaken. As soon as he entered the room, Draco, who was reading a book, looked at him and laughed at his obviously dishevelled self. He would have snapped at the blonde if he were in less control of himself but fortunately for him, he was able to take the mockery of his state with a grain of salt. Deciding to ignore the blonde's laughter, he changed out of his robes and slept the rest of the day.

-x-x-x-

The next day proved to be as problematic for Harry as yesterday afternoon was and it was annoying the hell out of him.

Severus, who was still very much in foul mood, assigned them individual potions to brew. This caused Harry to be torn between showing his true abilities or downgrading his abilities in order to prevent Snape from suspecting him more than he did so now. Unfortunately for him, Severus gave him Veritaserum as his potions assignment in hopes of taking out his anger on him by criticizing his work over and over.

However, since he was used to having students at age fifteen brew complicated potions during his first lifetime, he didn't find it odd that he was assigned a potion that was supposed to be taught in their last year as a final requirement for those attempting to become potions masters. In addition to that, due to his focus on the potion that he was supposed to brew, he failed to hear Severus state, "**As soon as you are finished with your assignments, you are to test them yourself. However, if you, like the dunderheads that I think you to be, are not confident about your work, then you are free to back out from the testing at the expense of your own grades.**" He sneered at the frantic students barely noticing that Harry was as calm as ever.

The teen unconsciously allowed himself to brew the assignment from his prior knowledge of the perfection of the truth potion that he had submitted for his mastery. Because of this, he missed the calculating looks that the scowling man sent his way. As soon as he began his potion, he got too caught up with what he was doing that he didn't notice that he was whispering the procedure in parseltongue, earning him a surprised glance from Draco who was working beside him.

Within the double period, Harry finished his potion first because he brewed it using a less tedious process. Surprised that he got the odourless and colourless aspect of the assigned potion, Severus wondered whether he missed something regarding the discrepancies in the boy's behaviour. He frowned while clearing his head. He asked the teen to hand the vial and prepared to test the potion.

Harry was rather taken aback by the absurdity of the request before recalling the events prior to his brewing of the truth potion. He paled when he briefly remembered hearing something about testing potions that they brewed themselves.

Mistaking his reaction for insecurity about his potion's effectiveness, Severus prepared to sneer at him only to be caught off guard when the teen casually told him, "**Well, I guess it can't be helped. However, I would like the testing to be a private affair. After all, the others were still brewing their assignments and we still have time.**"

This time, he replied sarcastically with a hint of mockery that the teen obviously ignored, "**Of course, Potter. After all, we wouldn't want the student body to know of your precious secrets.**" With that, he led the teen in his inner office, just behind the classroom and began to think of questions to ask the boy in case he brewed the potion successfully.

-o-o-o-

As soon as they entered the room, Severus made him take the customary three drops and waited a few moments before asking the initial questions.

"**What is your real name?**" He asked in an attempt to determine whether this was not the real Potter.

"**It's currently Harry James Potter.**"

"**Currently? Do you have a different name prior that?**"

"**Yes.**"

"**What is your previous name?**"

"**Salazar Siegfried Slytherin**."

"**What?**" _What the hell... Is this brat's potion defective? I'll ask some other safer questions and confirm._

"**Who are the marauders?**"

"**James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and **_**Peter Pettigrew.**_" He spat out the last man's name in disgust.

"**How did you defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort?**" _Let's see how you answer this one._

"**By forcing all his soul fragments to get together and separate it from his body while destroying both body and soul.**" _Damn! I shouldn't have made the potion so potent. I even blurted out my other identity. I just hope that he disregards it something trivial. And now, this. _

"**What happened to you afterwards?**" _Let's see how you answer this one._

Harry tried to clamp his mouth in order to prevent himself from answering but failed, "**I fell into a coma for the rest of fifth year and woke up just in time for my birthday in order to recover my old self.**" _Double damn!_

"**Why do you say that your previous name was Salazar Slytherin?**"

"**Because I first died as Salazar Siegfried Slytherin before I got reincarnated as Harry James Potter.**" _Shit! I'm a goner now. This old bat will probably throw me out now._

Severus was flabbergasted. Who would have thought that the son of his mortal enemy was the reincarnation of his most revered founder? The fates must be laughing at his predicament now. Dismissing such obtrusive thoughts, he continued, "**Who knows of this?**" _Better find out if what this brat's saying is credible._

"**Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin.**"_ By the gods! This is the worst interrogation ever and what's more, I'm the one at fault in this case._

Severus was about to continue his interrogation but fortunately for Harry, the effects of the serum were already fading and he was able to prevent himself from giving full answers, making the professor realize that the effectiveness of the potion was already diminishing and stopping the questions altogether. He was about to force another three drops on Harry when the teen suddenly pinned him down magically.

He felt the boy's power shackle him to his seat and became overwhelmed by the sheer force of the magic flowing out in such a controlled manner that he almost quaked in fear and anticipation. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the teen in front of him suddenly said, "**You shall speak to no one of what you have gleaned from this test, Severus Snape.**"

He was about to give a sarcastic retort but stopped midway when he saw Harry's eyes changed from emerald to glowing silver. As soon as he looked into those eyes, a shadowy feeling shrouded his mind. He realized that the teen blocked him from accessing the memory freely, preventing him from speaking it to anyone although he still retained the knowledge that he had gained. He was too stunned by what had happened that he mechanically followed the teen out of the inner room, forgetting to put on his customary scowl. Their reappearance confused the others so much that those who were toeing the line between failure and success, were unable to prevent themselves from ruining their potions by putting too much of one ingredient.

Awakened by the ruckus caused by the distressed students, Severus ordered them to bottle their potions and to not even bother coming for the testing of their potions, disappointing those who were able to brew theirs properly. As soon as the rest of the students left the classroom, Severus stopped Harry and told him in a deadly whisper, "**Even if you have managed to block me from accessing my memory, I would not allow you to get out of this without a proper explanation. Rest assured that I would have an audience with you even if I have to have the headmaster act out as witness.**"

Nodding in affirmation, Harry gracefully walked out of the classroom only to be assaulted by worried questions from Hermione and curious glances from Draco and his gang. He eased their curiosity by saying that what he brewed was an antidote for the effects of amortentia, which was quite simple considering the difficulty in brewing such a powerful love potion. He even added the thought that maybe it was assigned to him as a mockery for the debacle last Halloween. His bookworm friend seemed to accept this while Draco still looked sceptical, after all, he saw the ingredients that he used, and there was none in it that could have been used in brewing an antidote for a love potion. Knowing this, he mentally told the blonde, "**It's true, Draco. I mistook some of the ingredients and botched up the potion to the point that when I tested it, I threw up on Snape. He had to find some pain-relieving potion and scourgified as both to his satisfaction. **" He, then, projected a mental grin, earning himself a dry chuckle from the blonde, who dropped the subject even though he was still unsatisfied by the explanation.

-x-x-x-

Severus sat silently in his classroom. He wasn't marking the potions that he assigned today. Instead, he was busy contemplating the implication of what he had just learned. He wryly thought about the irony of the situation. While he revered Salazar due to his ideals as a potions master, he had also ridiculed him, albeit unconsciously, as Harry Potter, which was his reincarnated form. Really, couldn't his life get more complicated than it was supposed to be? However, with this knowledge, he had come to the conclusion that Sirius' apology might not be as sincere as the mutt expressed it to be. Especially if he factored in the truthfulness of the teen's claim.

He looked at the vial in front of him and decided to break it down to see if the truth serum was actually properly done in order to reassure himself of the factuality of the knowledge that he had just gained. However, despite his doubts about it, he couldn't deny the power that he had felt when confronted by the teen when the said person managed to block his memories in a way much unlike an obliviation spell. He knew that if a legilimens is powerful enough, he could do something similar to what had been done to him and it made him shiver with the thought that someone so young could hold such power. Coupled with talent and proper training, the brat would be formidable and he wanted to know whether he had to be wary of the teen's disposition as of present time. This was the reason why he would force an audience with Harry, even if he had to assign him several detentions just to have it.

He sighed and entered his quarters to grab a glass of firewhiskey. He just hoped that once he received all the answers that he need, he would be able to ascertain his position and the dilemma on how to treat the boy afterwards.

-o-o-o-

Harry was cursing himself for getting too complacent inside the classroom. He should have thought that if he looked into the curriculum of his first five years as a student, he could have realized that the level of expertise that the students were acquiring had already diminished through the years since the school's foundation. He thought once again that he should really find some time to restructure his mindscape as well as reorganize his memories in order to avoid further carelessness on his part. Later on, he would also think that if he had done this earlier, then he would have prevented a major rift between himself and Ron from happening.

However, as the case may be, this day was his unluckiest so far. For as soon as wandered the halls as part of his current duty, he bumped into Ron who, due to the days of contemplation on what he was supposed to do next, decided that it was best to make the scarred teen apologize for humiliating his sister by putting their so-called friendship on the line. What the redhead didn't count on, however, was for Harry, who was still irate because of the previous incident, to lash at him with such ferocity that he was once again put to shame.

At the same time, their confrontation happened to call the attention three other individuals. Not noticing the crowd that was drawn onto them, Ron demanded, "**Harry, apologize to Ginny now.**"

"**And why would I do that, Ron?**" The emerald-eyed teen answered rather callously, surprising all within earshot for they never heard the almost mild-mannered boy to speak in such a tone aside to Draco and his gang.

"**Why? You just humiliated her in front of the whole school for nothing, and you ask me why you should apologize? Mate, are you that thick?**" The redhead responded, believing that as soon as Harry heard it, that the boy hero would beg him for forgiveness.

"**No Ron, I am not, are you?**" Harry replied sarcastically, his temper on the edge of descending on the hapless redhead.

Bubbling in anger, Ron answered in a yell, "**Why you! Apologize to my sister now or we're through. After all, it is your fault why she rarely shows herself now.**"

Eyeing him critically, Harry just shrugged nonchalantly, as if his words had no effect whatsoever despite the fact that it was the opposite, "**Sure, Weasley. After all, it was Ginevra's fault for trying to use underhanded means to gain my affections.**"

He walked passed Ron, who was shocked to be dismissed like that, believing that their confrontation was over. However, he was mistaken. Ron decided to become aggressive and began to accuse Harry, "**I knew it! That slimy ferret-face has corrupted you and now you're turning into a slimy snake as well. Maybe, you'll be the next Dark Lord following in You-Know-Who's footsteps.**"

This statement drew in gasps from their audience, which remained unnoticed by the ranting Weasley and the now frozen Harry. This was the final straw for Harry's temper and he didn't care if he's going to cause a scene. He turned around to face Ron, his expression completely blank and eyes hardened. His voice was poised in a deadly whisper, sending chills on everyone's spines. "**Really now, Ronald. And here I am thinking that you have grown a brain after the fiasco last year. To think that you've finally resorted to childish and unfounded accusations, you must really be that thirsty for any sort of recognition. But I guess, I wouldn't know about it. After all, I never had siblings to compete with. What with my parents getting killed and all the rot. And as for me turning into a snake, it seems to have escaped your addled-brain's notice but as far as I can recall, I am a full-blooded human and not an animal of any sort. After all, I would have to be an animagus to be able to turn into an animal. And just in case it escaped your notice once again, Draco won't be able to corrupt me into being the next Dark Lord, when he himself is against the existence of one. Now I wonder how I became friends with an addle-brained ninny of a bigot like you. And now that we're into the part about our non-existent friendship, I'll tell you this once: Don't you ever think that I didn't know why you latched onto me in the first place five years ago because I know and I thank you for it. After all, it opened my eyes to your dualistic nature and made me wary of anything that comes from your mouth. Now, if you don't have any more to say to me, I am going to take my leave. I still have duties to perform.**"

As soon as he said this, he turned back sharply and was about to leave when Ron decided to act foolishly and cast a stunning spell on him. Harry, who fortunately still had the presence of mind to use his holly wand and incanted the protection spell while subsequently casting a 'petrificus totalus' on the inexperienced redhead. This earned Harry gasps of appreciation from their audience. Realizing that he had been seen, he turned his head just in time to lock eyes with Hermione who gave him a relieved sigh. Upon scanning her mind, he realized that the girl had been worried that he would be harmed by Ron. He inclined his head and scanned the area to find Neville and Luna. Upon locking eyes with Neville, the pureblood gave him a grin and a thumbs-up while at the same time looking relieved as well. Luna, her eyes still a bit glassy, smiled at him and walked up to him.

"**It seems that the wrackspurts had finally affected Ronald beyond redemption, Harry.**" She stated like it was mere simple facts.

Harry merely nodded wryly, slightly uncomfortable with the awe that the crowd was exuding. Sensing his distress, Draco mentally asked him, =**Are you alright?**=

Used to having mental conversations while still being aware of his immediate surroundings, he answered wearily, =**I'll be fine, I guess.**=

=**What happened?**= The blonde asked curiously.

=**Just got into a squabble with Ron, that's all.**= Harry answered a bit hastily.

=**The weasel? So he decided to act upon his idiocy, didn't he?**= Draco responded sarcastically.

=**You could say that. Man, I tired.**= The scarred teen gave a mental nod while trying to cover a tired sigh from erupting both mentally and physically.

=**Why not got to our room earlier? I'll cover for you just this once.**= The Malfoy heir suggested understanding the strain that the other boy was feeling now.

=**I'll do that. Thanks, Draco. I owe you one.**= Harry smiled mentally.

=**Oh, just answering my questions would be enough for me.**= Draco replied slyly in an attempt to wriggle information from his tight-lipped partner.

=**Hmm, if the time's right, I will. Later, then.**= Harry conceded with some sort of amusement about Draco's unsatisfied curiosity.

=**Fine, but you better rest now. After all, I don't want my partner lolling his head during classes.**= The blonde teased.

=**Okay, okay, I'll go now. Just have to do some major damage control here.**= Harry answered, cutting off their mental connection.

As soon as he ended his conversation with his partner, Harry concentrated on silently modifying the students' memories about the incident. Oh, they still know the gist of what had happened. Harry just happened to decide to blur the part where he was attacked by Ron and he countered like the experience fighter that he was. Unfortunately for him, his conscience prevented him from doing the same to his three friends, who he felt passed some sort of loyalty test just now after his confrontation with his former best friend.

As soon as he finished his modifications, he felt that someone else must have done the same thing because he felt a relatively unrecognizable power flow into the student body in the same design that his magic did. He gave a sigh of relief, believing that whoever did that was probably his ally at the present time. After all, he didn't want to expose himself to anybody due to his carelessness. With that in mind, he gracefully excused himself and headed to his room skipping his last class with the intent to rest for the rest of the day.

-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, Harry's three friends congregated inside the Room of Requirements. Hermione and Neville were still coming onto terms with the fact that Harry and Ron just broke their friendship. Also, they were trying to fit in the image that Harry projected earlier to their memories of a mild-mannered boy with a hero-complex. They were confused with the minor discrepancies in Harry's current behaviour and they were at a lost as to what to do. On one hand, Harry was their friend and they were worried about his mentality. On the other hand, they were slightly happy that their friend finally could stand his ground without fear of the unimportant ramifications that might ensue from his actions. After all, they saw how Harry allowed himself to be led and swayed by the public's opinion of him and it was quite detrimental on the teen's obvious health.

Luna, on the other hand, watched them in satisfaction with a bit of amusement. She thought that these two were really worthy of standing beside Chosen One although they were still unaware of their part in the greater scheme of things. However, this wasn't the right time to inform them, and she would ensure that once it's time, she'd be the one to tell them. After all, she wanted to keep them safe, especially Neville.

Luna smiled. She was anticipating the next weekend for she had seen a very interesting interaction between two very interesting people. In her mind, being a true seer really had its perks.

After they were done with their discussion, the three headed to their dormitories to rest.

-o-o-o-

As for Ron, his petrified body was carried to the infirmary by Harry's express request that he be taken care of lest he might get entangled with the other students and fall into more harm. Dean Thomas, who was merely passing by, volunteered to carry the redhead's prone form in an attempt to try and meet up with Seamus. Unfortunately for him, he wasted his time waiting for the Irish lad to visit Ron and he left the infirmary slightly dejected.

At the same time, Madam Pomfrey was having a hard time releasing the petrified boy from his current state. Not because the spell was complicated, but because the power behind the spell was stronger than normal. It was as if the caster was so powerful that he was unable to hold himself back. When she asked who the caster was, Dean could only shrug saying that he merely volunteered to take Ron to the infirmary. And as he wasn't a witness to the confrontation, he didn't think that Harry would dare cast such a powerful spell on his ex-best friend that it was almost unbreakable.

Thankfully, at some time in the night, the mediwitch managed to drag Dumbledore into the infirmary and had him perform the counter-spell. The aged headmaster recognized the signature when he incanted the counter and realized that he had to put more effort into releasing the prone boy. And as soon as Ron awoke, Albus delved into the redhead's mind and acquired the memories of the earlier debacle. However, he couldn't do anything about it since it would be highly suspicious to punish two students about an incident that no authority figure had witnessed. Besides, he didn't really want to punish Harry for retaliating to Ron. After all, he himself was disappointed by the boy's narrow-mindedness and it saddened him to realize that out of seven children, the last two Weasleys turned out badly. He just hoped that the rest of their family wouldn't feel the full effects of these two's actions in the near future.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

That's it for today folks... Well, this chapter was getting long for my taste so I decided to cut it here. Besides the title of this chapter was Unwanted Confrontations so I got the impression that it wouldn't be fitting to add the scene with Harry acting as Gerald in the picture.

As for Snape's discovery... I guess, I would say that even though he accepted the knowledge as fast as he did, he was still sceptic about it. That's why he's going to test the credibility of the potion through and through until he was satisfied that it was perfectly made. After all, he wouldn't want to accept that the student that he bullied for so long was the reincarnation of his most revered founder.

Probably, later in the story, he would accept it and treat Harry levelly without any malice. This would soon lead to more complexities as Harry gains more allies and foes in his attempt to do what he thinks is best for the Magical World.

I hope that you'll like this part...

Read and Review....

Until Later,

Kyuubii04


	12. Chapter 12: Desirable Meetings

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 12: **Desirable Meetings

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes:"**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

_Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness _– thoughts

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

=_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

The day after their confrontation, Ron and Harry had avoided being in contact with one another for different reasons. Harry did so unconsciously, as he was too wrapped up in his plans for the day. Ron, on the other hand, avoided Harry in fear of feeling the overwhelming force of the other teen's magic. After all, he didn't want to be petrified again. In addition, he was still considering what he would do next. For once, he felt like cursing himself for stupidly ruining his own plan of using Harry as a stepping stone to further his own ambitions. Now that Harry had vocally cut all ties with him due to his own prompting, he had to find another way to use the boy-hero. As he spent his time listing his options, he came up with a sudden thought. _If I want to be recognized, then I need to do something that would drag down that damned orphan boy in the mud and raise myself up. I guess doing that would be my best option. After all, the public must know the secrets of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Defeated-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and who better to reveal it but his own best friend. Let's just see if you won't bend over and beg me to regain my friendship._

All the while, the Hogwarts populace was in an uproar. They were trying to makes sense of what had just occurred between the so-called best friends. They were also highly disgusted by the action of the redheaded siblings. Really, they were dragging the Weasley name down in the mud. It would have been hilarious had not the two committed deplorable actions so unlike the pranks committed by the twins.

-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, on another part of the castle, as the redhead was planning his strike against Harry, the boy in question was busy preparing for his departure. Silently, he brought out a stone, most likely made of sapphire, and chanted a spell that transformed the gem into an exact replica of himself. The copy was almost perfect aside from the fact that it had two major defects. One, it can only function based on the will of its original through a mental connection enforced during the activation of the 'Replication Stone'. And two, it was incapable of any form of communication unless the original used their mental connection to communicate, which was very tedious and distracting on the part of the original. He placed a command that would make the golem go through his daily schedule and imbued it with enough magic to be able to perform school-related activities along with the thought of subtly avoiding being in contact with anybody unless he commands otherwise. He was only grateful that with his expertise with Occlumency, he was made capable of dividing his attention without much difficulty. Although, he was still a bit miffed because of his slip up with Snape, he resolved to think before doing or saying anything that could further expose him until it was time.

As soon as he finished with his preparations, he walked down an unused hallway that leads to a secret passageway towards the Headmaster's Office, while morphing into his second identity as Gerald, unknowing of the calculatingly curious pair of eyes watching his departure from the shadows of the corridor.

-o-o-o-

The owner of said pair of eyes stepped out of the alcove from which he was hidden and contemplated the implications of what he had seen. He thought of scenarios in which he confronted Harry with his discovery and decided on how to broach the subject cautiously. After all, it would not do to allow others to learn of this fact unless he was sure that it needed to be discovered.

As he contemplated all this, the watcher allowed a smirk to appear on his face and headed towards his original destination before he spied the scarred boy.

-x-x-x-

As soon as he reached the office, Harry immediately informed Dumbledore of what had transpired between him and the potions professor. He also told the aged wizard to expect another confrontation between Harry and Snape with himself as the witness. Upon hearing this, Dumbledore solemnly nodded his agreement and watched as the teen departed.

-o-o-o-

Harry stepped out of the fireplace of Number Twelve and prepared himself to apparate towards Diagon Alley. This time, he was wearing one of his dark green robes that made him look more elegant. He purposefully walked towards Gringotts and asked for an audience with Ragnok. Surprised, the head goblin received him with eyes brimming with curiosity.

+**Greetings, Ragnok.**+ Harry inclined his head in acknowledgement, waiting for the goblin to respond.

+**Greetings, Lord Moonhaven. How can I be of service?**+ The goblin replied curiously.

+**I am here to inquire as to the result of my prior request.**+ Harry answered casually, taking his seat as soon as Ragnok indicated that he could do so.

+**Ah, that one. You need not be troubled by it, my Lord. The heirs of four of the Great Houses had already received their inheritance.**+

+**Are there any setbacks that I need to be aware of?**+

+**I would be insulted for your lack of faith had I not come to understand the need for such caution, my Lord. But worry not, your request had been carried out without ramifications.**+

Harry gave a satisfied nod and told the goblin, +**Very well. You may take the appropriate sum from my Gryffindor Vault as compensation for your services, Master Ragnok.**+

+**As you wish.**+ The head goblin answered.

As soon as he concluded that part of his business, Harry reverted back to using English and asked courteously, "**Master Ragnok, would you please summon one of yours to lead me to my trust vault. I have a need to withdraw some spending money apart from the card that you have supplied me. Also, I would like to ask if you could recommend someone to be my account manager, in order to help me monitor the changes in all of my accounts.**"

The goblin eyed him for a moment, testing to see whether there was some hesitation in assigning a goblin to handle his fortune from the teen. Seeing none, he gave a short nod and asked, "**Do you have a goblin in mind, my Lord?**"

Harry thought about this and asked, "**I seem to recall being assisted once by a goblin named Griphook. Is he competent enough to handle five accounts or do think that he needs someone to assist him?**"

"**Griphook, eh? Well, he is one of the oldest employees of Gringotts and probably one of the most competent ones when it comes to managing accounts. He is also trustworthy as well as honour-bound not to disclose anything with regards to what he does for you. Also, he is also allowed some leeway by the supreme council and has the authority to carry out most of your requests, as long as they do not conflict with his duties to the Goblin Nation.**"

Satisfied, Harry said, "**If I am to make him into my account manager, does this mean that I no longer have to come to you in order to have my request carried out or do I have to ask for your confirmation before I could relay them to him?**"

"**As long as it does not pose a problem to our nation, then yes. However, if your request involves the goblins to take some sort of direct action, then you have to take it to me first before it can be carried out.**" Ragnok responded.

"**Very well. I would like you to assign Griphook as my account manager as soon as possible.**" Harry said.

The goblin gave a smirk that was almost frightening and reached out to grab a glowing red orb. As soon as he had it in front of him, Ragnok called out, "**Griphook! Come to my office this instant.**"

Harry amazed said softly, "**Who would have thought that there are still an existing ascertia in this world. I thought that they were all destroyed during the failed demon invasion.**"

"**You would be surprised as to how much of the Ancient Arts had survived the Demon War a thousand years ago, my Lord. In fact, most of them were safely kept inside the Moonhaven and Sagebryne Vaults.**"

"**Really? Man, it means I have to dig through all those junk in there just to find something useful. It'd take me years to sort those out.**" Harry whined, showing the teenage side of himself, making the head goblin raise an almost non-existent eyebrow towards him before saying, "**It seems that you have forgotten that all our vaults are magical ones that allows the head of the family to merely summon the item wanted as long as it is there.**"

Acquiring a sheepish look, he said, "**Oh. I guess, I just have to ask my manager to give me a full inventory of all my possessions.**" Truth be told, Harry was slightly embarrassed to be caught acting like he did but hid it well before relaxing back into his seat as he waited for Griphook to answer the summons.

He didn't wait for long, since as soon as he eased himself, the goblin entered the room with the stiff confidence of a warrior. Griphook asked with reverence, "**How may I be of service, Chief Ragnok?**"

Ragnok answered him with the air of authority that he usually held back when speaking with Harry, "**Griphook, do you know who this young man is?**"

Eyeing Harry's disguised form for a moment; the goblin shook his head negatively.

Maintaining his tone, Ragnok continued, undeterred by the negative response, "**This young man is Lord Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven, otherwise known to the world as Harry James Potter, defeater of the self-proclaimed Dark Lord Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle. He has requested that you become his account manager for the five houses that are currently under his power.**" The Chief Goblin waited for the response of the stunned goblin much to the amusement of their guest.

Griphook, finally able to get a hold of himself, cleared his throat and answered as befitting of a goblin warrior, "**I am very much obliged by the honour that you have granted, Lord Moonhaven. It'll be my pleasure to serve you to the best of my abilities.**"

Harry smiled and nodded, "**I am convinced that you would carry out your duties well, Griphook. And for you first duty as my manager, I would like you to perform a thorough inventory of all of my current holdings and file them separately according to the vault and house to which they belong. Now, I would like you to escort me to my trust vault for I need to withdraw from my account.**" Harry stood at this moment and headed towards the door but not after giving a farewell nod towards Ragnok.

Griphook, on the other hand, almost scrambled to follow his new employer, still unable to believe that someone of his station had easily risen in rank just because of a request of a certain lord.

As soon as they reached the vault, Harry immediately withdrew a thousand galleons, sickles and knuts and piled them in his bottomless pouch. He, then, instructed Griphook to prevent any information with regards to the revival of the other houses apart from the Moonhaven Line from leaking out into the public before it was time. The goblin nodded and vowed to perform his duties well.

With his business done, Harry stepped out of the bank and went to shop in Diagon Alley, where he would soon meet a very unlikely ally.

-x-x-x-

He entered Flourish and Blotts and immediately set out to search the store for something useful. He was actually planning on setting up a new residence that he would use as his public address and as a public library. He wasn't really interested in making any sort of profit but needless to say, this was only the first step in his attempt to revitalize the stagnant wizarding world. His only problem was finding a partner. After all, no matter how legendary his name was, he was still a teenager and that could prove to be a setback in his plan to acquire the attention of the general populace and use it to educate them as to the necessity of achieving new heights and having them re-learn the importance of the so-called dark creatures in the society.

He shifted from shelves to shelves, all the while pondering on the topics that needed to be broached in order to make people see the results of their prejudice. He knew that no matter how much effort he tries to change the people's views, there would still be a few that would be stuck in their bigotry. But, at least, if he became successful in his venture, then the British Wizarding World would finally be able to move onwards towards improvement and if there was room for it, he would make measures to educate people in the Lost Arts, otherwise known to those who practice it as the Ancient Arts.

Now that he thought about it, Harry, currently in the guise of Gerald, groaned mentally at the tediousness of carrying out his plans. He just wished that all of this would turn out well. He knew that he could ask Sirius to support him but the end result would probably link itself on Harry and that it something that he would prefer not to happen.

As he skimmed through the books, he saw something that caught his eye. It was a series of books entitled 'Magical Theories and Applications for Easy Understanding: A Collaborative Work of the Great Wizards of Ancient Past'. As he leafed through the books, he recognized some of the theories and beliefs that had been taught to him by his five mentors as well as some of the ones that he and his friends had developed. Turning the book over, he looked for the name of the person who compiled these ideas. He wanted to know how this notes were discovered since he knew that Rowena kept all of these inside Hogwarts.

Noticing the focus of his attention, the shopkeeper approach him and asked good-naturedly, "**It seems that the book had caught you fancy. Do you plan to add it to your collection?**"

"**Excuse me sir, but I would like to know as to how you came about this book? From what I have learned from my great ancestor's journal, the original notes regarding these theories are safely kept in Hogwarts. So, how is it that someone managed to make an exact compilation of these pieces of work?**" Harry almost shook the man for answers but was thankful to have enough restraint not to do so.

The shopkeeper looked at him for a moment and answered, "**I do not know where you learned of this fact, young man. But, you are correct in saying that the originals are at Hogwarts. In fact, they still are. It just so happens that the one who compiled this works created a copy due to the written request of Rowena Ravenclaw to spread this knowledge to the world after it has been polished. Truth be told, the compiler tried to take the originals but it seems that nobody could remove it from Hogwarts' Library, so he had tediously re-written all of this and developed this series according to the level of understanding necessary to learn them.**"

"**Do you know the person who compiled all of these?**"

"**Well, I believe he referred to himself as Rian Shail.**"

"**I see. Thank you for that piece of information. I will be purchasing the whole set if you do not mind.**" Gerald – Harry – smiled disarmingly at the stunned shopkeeper and made his way to the counter while carrying a basket of the other books that had caught his eye along with the series that he had just looked through. He was waiting for the shopkeeper to check all of his purchases and at the same time, he was also pondering on why the name 'Rian Shail' seemed to be familiar to him somewhat. Once done, he step out of the bookstore and went towards the apothecary to replenish his stock of potions ingredients.

-o-o-o-

As soon as he stepped out of the apothecary, he didn't notice that he was going to collide with someone until he, being smaller in stature, fell down on the ground while unconsciously moving his purchases so as not to damage them. He blinked as he came to terms with what had happened and was pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of someone that he didn't expect to meet.

"**Are you unharmed, young man?**" Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the Venerable House of Malfoy asked him while offering his hand to the disguised youth. Harry took it gratefully brushed off the dust that had settled in as soon as he was standing.

He turned to face the person that he least expect to meet, gave a serene smile, and said lightly, "**It seems that no matter how I try, I would still remain with such small physique so as to be easily floored in an unexpected collision.**"

"**Indeed, but I do not think it unfortunate. In fact, you should be thankful for you'd be able to slip through as easily as you can be felled by those of larger stature than yours.**" Lucius remarked in response.

"**Well, I suppose that such logic would be acceptable. I am Gerald Gabriel Moonhaven at your service, Lord Malfoy.**" Harry introduced his chosen persona, giving the blonde aristocrat an acknowledging nod as opposed to bowing.

If Lucius Malfoy was surprised, he didn't show it. In fact he merely returned to nod and replied amiably, "**So you are the current Lord Moonhaven. I didn't expect you to be quite so young to hold such a powerful title.**"

Raising an inquiring eyebrow at the blonde, Harry asked good-naturedly, "**Is that so? Why, sir, would you rather have me as a wrinkly old man barely capable of walking without heaving?**"

"**Not at all. It is just that I expected you to be a bit older than your actual age. After all, I've heard quite some rumours about you in several circles in our society.**" Lucius answered, this time with a look of calculation in his eyes.

"**Ah. I do hope that I did not ruin any other expectations you have of me or I would be at a disadvantage.**" Harry replied, silently motioning the older to walk with him towards the ice cream parlour owned by Florean Fortescue.

Walking elegantly, Lucius raised an elegant eyebrow and asked with a touch of curiosity, "**And why would you be at a disadvantage? After all, this is the first time that we've met personally.**"

"**That may be, however, it seems that while I continuously shatter you preconceptions about myself, you continue to strengthen the image that I have of you, Lord Malfoy.**" Harry answered lightly, not indicating whether the image that he referred to is positive or not.

Intrigued, the Malfoy Patriarch asked again, "**And what image would that be, young man?**"

"**Well, whenever I hear of you, I seem to think of a man who is cool, calm, perceptive and witty. And right now, you continue to prove me right and that's put me at a disadvantage for I feel the need to live up to the expectations of such a person who deserves high regard.**" Harry silkily enunciated, trying to dispel his earlier notions of the man's supposed cruelty before his occupation as a spy was announced.

"**Very flattering. If I do not know better, I would think that you are trying to get on my good graces, Lord Moonhaven.**" Lucius drawled in response.

Not giving in, Harry answered, "**And what makes you think that I am not, as you say, trying to get on your good graces? After all, the Malfoy name is quite powerful compared to a mere historical influence that my title gives me.**"

Smirking a bit, Lucius answered, "**If that is so, then you would probably begin simpering and asking me inane questions about my day while trying to scrounge inane favours out of me.**"

"**And what makes you think that I am not merely using a different tactic?**"

"**Even if you are, I would still not believe it of you. After all, you seem to be a reasonable young man with enough decorum not to conduct yourself in such a manner.**"

"**Now, that is flattering, Lord Malfoy. I do not believe that I deserve such high praise from you. After all, I've been called uncouth several times by sensible ladies of our social circle. **"

"**If that is so, then you have been able to hide your uncouth behaviour so well that I seem to have missed it. Besides, being called as such by those dear ladies does not take much to achieve.**"

"**Why? Do not tell me that you have been called by such a title as well?**"

"**Indeed, I am. I have been branded as such when I refused to dance with one of the simpering fools who refer to themselves as the ladies of the pureblood court.**"

"**How utterly revolting. I pity you, Lord Malfoy, for having to endure such torture.**"

"**Oh, but it is worth it for I have been gifted the chance to hear what a promising young lord you turned out to be.**"

"**To be held in such regard is quite flattering and I do hope that I have lived up to it today. After all, I would not want to be a part of such a stagnant group as is the one we are currently tolerating, don't you think so, Lord Malfoy?**"

"**Indeed. It would be disappointing to stay the same when we have the power to change for the better.**"

"**Ah. It seems to me that our opinions are in accord with each other. Would you mind if I ask you to meet with me again to discuss some issues that run along the same line?**"

"**Not at all. In fact, I would find it much welcome to have such a refreshing conversation from someone as intriguing as you. Would Saturday noon next week at 'The Three Broomsticks' acceptable?**"

"**I wouldn't call myself intriguing but then again we have our own preference when it comes to how we think of things. Very well, Saturday it will be, Lord Malfoy.**"

"**It is quite a pleasure meeting you, but for now, I must go. I have to attend an important meeting at the ministry today so I best be off. Until next Saturday, then.**"

"**Until next Saturday it is. Good luck on your meeting.**" Harry bade the Malfoy Patriarch. As soon as the blonde was out of sight, he gave small triumphant smirk and ordered a chocolate sundae from Mr. Fortescue, who genially gave him his order.

As soon as he finished, he set off towards Hogwarts thinking on what an interesting and profitable day it had been for him. Now, the only thing he had to do was convince Lucius Malfoy to become his partner in advocating the modernization of the Wizarding World while re-educating them about the Lost Arts.

-x-x-x-

When he stepped through the Headmaster's fireplace, Albus asked him about his day so he recounted his whole experience with no little amount of triumph in his voice.

Meanwhile, on some obscure part of the castle, Harry's unintentional observer was thinking on ways on how to confront the emerald-eyed teen with his newly-possessed knowledge.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Finally! It's done! After ten thousand years of waiting!

Hehe, I'm sorry for the very late update.

It just so happen that our internet connection got a bit sketchy and it was hard to connect to the net, then there's the thing called the start of classes and all the rot.

I was hoping to have uploaded this in June but I got sidetracked.

The next update would probably be late as well since I'd probably take some time in writing the next chapters due to school matters and my own laziness...

Hope you'd like this one.... Kyuubi04...


	13. Chapter 13: Unexpected Developments

**Descend to Darkness**

**By: **Kyuubi04

**HARRY POTTER FANFICTION**

**Chapter 13: **Unexpected Developments

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings: There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes: "**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**" – regular speech

_Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness _– thoughts

-_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_- parseltongue

+**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**+ gobbledegook

=_**Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness**_= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

It has been three days since Harry's last jaunt outside Hogwarts and he has been enjoying himself by far. He has been dividing his attention between his classes and his friends. Also, he was having such invigorating conversations with Draco and if he could sneak it upon his time, he slips into the Chamber of Secrets to converse with his mentor while carefully erasing his tracks from others. However, as it always came for him, he began to dread the following day.

Sooner than he would have liked, the fourth day came and double potions along with it. He could already imagine how the dour professor would make him fulfil their deal. He was already feeling so much trepidation just thinking about the possible outcomes of this day, each one being much worse than the last. Unable to do anything to prevent this inevitable confrontation, he just gave a defeated sigh, which gained Draco's curiosity from their link, and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. After all, one cannot think with an empty stomach.

As he walked towards his current house table, he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. At first, he brushed it off as Snape burning holes unto his back, but when he couldn't see the 'dungeon bat' anywhere, he realized that it was not so. However, since there was no killing intent coming from said gaze, he shrugged it off for later investigation. Because, for now, he is going to brace himself for his next encounter with Snape.

-x-x-x-

Severus Tobias Snape was in a very foul mood. First thing that he did after that potions debacle with one Harry James Potter was to approach the headmaster, demanding that the old coot supervise an audience with the brat, hoping to find an excuse to discredit the claims made by the previously bespectacled boy, even if it is claimed under the influence of veritaserum.

Upon reaching the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office, he distastefully gave the password, unknowing that the semi-sentient guard was amused by his dislike of the chosen password. The stone guardian opened the passage towards the office and allowed the professor entrance. The potions master glided, as it is, towards the headmaster's office fully intent on his purpose. He didn't even stop to wonder how the old man learned of his presence.

"**Ah, Severus, how nice of you to join me. Would you like some tea? No? A pastry perhaps...**" Dumbledore would have gone on in naming various treats to entice the professor into joining him for tea when the latter broke through his tirade and said, "**Will you stop with naming those infernal sweets of yours, Albus. I did not come here to join you in your indulgence, so mayhap you could at least pay some attention and listen clearly to what I have to say about that golden brat of yours.**"

Eyes twinkling beneath his half-moon spectacles, Albus Dumbledore jovially rebutted his subordinate's statement, "**Ah, but Severus, you might find that the young lad is not as golden as you think. I, myself, believe that the colour silver suits him better than gold does. But, very well, what is it that you want to talk about Harry?**"

Sneering at the insinuation of Harry Potter's slytherin tendencies, he replied, "**No matter, my opinion still stands. As you already know, I have my **_**students**_** do some individual potions for a change. I assigned them with different potions to avoid any misdemeanour. I, on good judgment,**" – at this part, the wizened old man tried to cover a snort of disbelief with a short cough, earning a raised eyebrow from the potions master, - "**told **_**Potter**_** to brew a very advance potion, a veritaserum.**"

At this pause, the headmaster decided to irk the younger wizard by pretending to be unknowing of what had transpired after and asked with a tint of exaggerated curiosity, making the pale man growl a bit in irritation, "**I see, but, Severus, I fail to see the reason of your visit. I presume that as you have expected, Harry failed to brew such a difficult and volatile potion like veritaserum.**"

Suppressing the urge to curse at his employer, Severus Snape continued with his spiel, "**Unfortunately, it seems that the boy managed to brew an acceptable potion. But going back to what I am saying, I had Potter test his own brew and in the process of doing so, I have learned some very interesting information. As loath as I am to believe such an outrageous declaration, I will admit that the brat's potion was perfectly and potently brewed. Therefore, I made some arrangement for him to elaborate on this with the condition to have someone mediate between us in an interview of sorts.**"

Turning to look a bit more seriously at his employee, the old man asked, "**Is that so? But, still, I fail to see the need for you to visit me, my boy.**"

Growing exasperated with their conversation, Severus succumbed to the urge to curse and answered a bit more harshly than he intended, "**Damn it, Albus! Will you stop playing stupid for Merlin's sake. Or, maybe, you want me to tell you plainly? I came here to ask you to mediate in the interview between us for I am afraid that I might curse the brat if we're left alone or worse have those two pets of his as our mediator.**" Taking a calming breathe, the potions master looked to see the older man smiling triumphantly towards him, causing him to grit his teeth in an attempt to force down his irritation at being bested by his mentor.

"**That wasn't so hard to ask, was it? Really, Severus, it seems to me that you keep on forgetting that not everybody has a mind of a slytherin and thus are unable to understand such play with words as you do. Very well, I will, as you say, mediate between the two of you. I guess that is all.**"

"**Yes. If you'll excuse, I got a class to prepare.**" With that, Severus Snape walked out of the headmaster's office and back to his laboratory with a semi-satisfied flourish.

-o-o-o-

Back in the Great Hall, Harry was silently eating his food when a small piece of parchment suddenly materialized in front of him. He smiled a bit at the familiar handwriting. However, he scowled when he read the contents of the note. Really, he didn't think that the Potions Professor would make the first move, but, then again, it was easier for him that the man did so. So, with a sigh, he headed towards the potions classroom, while Hermione silently followed him, puzzled over his mood.

The walk was relatively uneventful apart from the fact that Harry could still feel the eyes boring into his back. Seeing that this was a class composed of students from all houses, he tried to remember which students were taking potions with so as to deduce the identity of the person staring at him. _Hmm, from Gryffindor, there would be me, Hermione, Dean, Seamus and Parvati. Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass and Millicent Bulstrode are the only ones from Slytherin. Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillan are from Hufflepuff. Padma Patil, Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst and Lisa Turpin are from Ravenclaw. All in all, there are twenty students attending N.E.W.T. Potions in my year. As it is obvious that I cannot glare at myself, I am already excluded from the list. Hermione's out as well, since she'll probably just pester me for answers as she is not that patient when curious. Seamus currently hates my guts, it seems, so he'll probably just try to deck me and not stare. Parvati's too busy looking at mirror to even stare at me or anyone else for that matter, probably trying to find anything to gossip about through the mirror's reflected images, so she's out. Who else? Justin and Ernie are kind of wary of me still ever since that Chamber incident so they'll probably be too afraid to glare at me for too long much less stare in the same way that I'm probably being stared at. Terry's not that fond of me since I'm supposedly the epitome of being a slacker, so he probably thinks that I'm not worth the dirt underneath his shoes, unless of course when it comes to D.A.D.A., so he's out too. Padma and Lisa are out too since they're too busy going over their potions text together. Mandy's walking in front of me so unless she has eyes behind her, it'd be impossible for her to look at me, so she's out. Draco, wouldn't stare since he could always ask me things through the bond. So, that leaves the other Slytherins and, Dean? Hmm, it's probably a Slytherin. I wonder who it is and what have I done to deserve being examined so intently? Must look into this later but now, I have to focus on how I'm going to deal with Snape._

His musing was not unnoticed by Draco, who, while trying to use their mind link to talk with Harry, immediately inquired as what was bothering him. After all, even with their link, thoughts hardly pass through it unless it was being done consciously. =_**Harry, what's wrong? Your mind's been wondering for a while now.**_=

Startled by the suddenness of the question, Harry took a long while before replying. =_**It's nothing, Draco. Just thinking is all. Why? Have you heard something bothersome from me through the link?**_=

=_**Not really, it's just that your mind feels kind of empty when you're musing about things. It's a bit weird really.**_= Draco replied.

=_**Hmm, is that so? Makes you wonder why, doesn't it?**_= Harry asked a bit amused.

=_**Obviously...**_= The blonde answered with a mental huff.

Smiling, a bit, Harry relayed the fact about the link to Draco, =_**Well, as you can see, the chain is already settling in and adjusting to our needs. As we are individuals who enjoy our privacy, the link is changing itself to accommodate us. So whenever one of us is thinking things that we are not consciously projecting towards the other, the link makes it so that those thoughts are being blocked and thus we have that so-called empty feeling you're talking about. It's just like that fact that through the link, we could feel when one of us is in danger. It's nothing really spectacular so there's no need to worry about it.**_=

=_**How in Merlin's name do you know so much about this?**_= Draco asked, a bit exasperated that he's only finding about this things when they're already there.

=_**Well, there's a book in the library detailing everything about the rule that the headmaster invoked upon us, I just decided to take a look for a bit.**_= The formerly bespectacled boy answered cheekily.

Growling in irritation, the blonde retorted snootily, =_**Very well, I'll look into it so that I won't be so far behind you in fact, seeing that you find it fun to inform me only when I ask. Thank you, oh so much, for you help.**_= And with that he entered the classroom, but not without hearing Harry's amused reply, =_**My pleasure, Draco dearest.**_=

-x-x-x-

Snape, once again, decided to have them brew individually since Madam Pomfrey was hounding him earlier for a batch of blood-replenishing potion. He sneered at his students, "**Today, you are going to brew a blood-replenishing potions, individually. Potions that I find acceptable would, then, be delivered to the hospital wing. Begin.**"

All the while, as Harry was brewing his potion, he couldn't help but feel that the Potions Master was eyeing his work warily, as if he was waiting for it to explode or turn into a different shade so that he would have sufficient reason to issue a detention. Smirking inwardly, he decided to oblige his professor and purposefully, but subtly, added three drops of moonbeam extract1 to make the colour of the potion lighten and make it more appealing to the palate without altering its effect.

As he was doing this, Snape pursed his lips in confusion, he was wondering how Potter's potion lightened in colour when he didn't see the brat put anything that could have done so. Nevertheless, he took this as his chance to belittle Harry's efforts, "**Well, well, Potter. It seems that you are as inept as ever. I really have to wonder how you managed to be part of this class. Really, it seems that your feeble mind cannot even comprehend that your potion is of a different hue than it is supposed to be.**" Afterwards, he silently banished the contents of the cauldron unknowing that Harry, who had already anticipated such a move, secretly bottled some of the potion using some of the vials he had in his bag for his own personal stores. Also, in addition, he purposefully allowed the professor to see another ingredient that was not supposed to be part of the potion, being that it would result to the reversal of the effects. Lips forming a very thin line, Severus snapped at the scarred boy, who merely smirked in challenge, "**Potter! Detention with me! You will come to my office an hour after dinner. Is that understood?**"

"**Yes, Professor Snape.**" The boy replied candidly, his expression carefully turning from being defiantly smug into a look of being hesitantly chastised.

Satisfied for the moment, the Potions Masters barked at his students to bottle their potions with their names on it for grading and to leave the classroom afterwards. As he dismissed his students, Severus carefully watched Harry's movements, trying to find any indication of what the young man was currently thinking. He was wondering whether the supposed Golden Boy purposefully allowed himself to be given detention as a means to schedule their meeting. Shaking his head, he decided that must not be it, he thought that it's probably just the boy being his usually inept self and that his previous success with the veritaserum was nothing more than a fluke. But, even with this train of thought, he cannot easily dismiss the notion that what the boy had just revealed might be possibly true. _But, what would it mean for me even if the boy is indeed Salazar Slytherin reincarnated? It's not like I'm supposed to suddenly revere his mere presence? _He thought to himself, slightly bothered by such a notion. _Nevertheless, I still need to know the truth, seeing that it would probably bother me for some indefinite period of time. It's best to get it out of my system as soon as possible_. Pursing his lips into a thin line, he proceeded to clear his classroom and prepared himself for his next class.

-o-o-o-

For both Harry and Severus, the day proceeded as normally as possible, while they anticipated the time specified for Harry' detention, for different reasons, of course. The scarred teen was almost killing himself with several scenarios on how the Potions Master was going to initiate their interview. While, the older man was formulating a series of questions that would ask in order to confirm Harry's claims. He already informed the Headmaster as to the time and place of the said meeting.

Dinner, for everyone except those two, and maybe perhaps the headmaster, was a simply regular affair. They ate their food while chatting with their friends and talking about school work in general. Some of the students were missing but as they were a minority, no one bothered to wonder about it. They weren't even curious enough to imagine what those missing students were up to, because if they were, they would notice that one particular redhead was not sitting in the Gryffindor table.

As for Harry, in an attempt to take his mind off the inevitable meeting, began to scan the crowd for anything interesting, silently noting that his former best friend was not in the Great Hall. Pushing the thought on the back of his mind for later examination, he continued his aimless search until he was jolted out of his musing by Hermione, "**Aren't you going to eat your dinner, Harry?**"

Turning towards his bushy-haired friend, he mumbled, "**Oh, I was already going to eat. I was just lost in my thoughts. Thanks for reminding me, 'Mione.**"

"**As you should be. Really, classes have just begun, you know, and you've already got detention with Professor Snape.**" She told her friend with a slightly disapproving look that made Harry smile sheepishly.

"**Well, it's not like I wanted to get a detention, especially from him, you know. 'Sides, he'll probably just order me to clean some cauldrons or something like that. Don't worry, though, I'll try not to aggravate him, if that's what you want.**" He defended himself making the girl smile patronizingly at him while adding, "**At least, he didn't take point off of you, just be careful next time. After all, we're already studying for our N.E.W.T.s and getting to much detention is not good for your records.**"

"**Ah, you really need not worry about that, 'Mione. I'm sure that I could get a pretty decent job after graduation.**" He told his friend while mentally adding to himself, _Besides, with all the inheritance that I have receive, I'll probably be able to live in luxury leaving enough for my even great-grandchildren to live similarly._ 2

With that, the two ate their dinner silently and parted ways soon after they were finished, with Hermione heading towards the Gryffindor dormitory and Harry towards Snape's office.

-x-x-x-

Upon reaching the Potions Master's office, Harry gave a tentative knock while schooling his face into a neutral expression and began to strengthen his mental shields in case Snape decided to take a more offensive approach.

The door opened on its own, making Harry think that the dour man was trying to intimidate him. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the sight of the Headmaster in his bright blue robes while carrying a plate of what the boy assumed was his stash of lemon drops. "**Oh, welcome, Harry, my boy. Come on, come in.**" The old man ushered as if he was in his own office, making the man sitting behind the table to look a tad bit disgruntled.

"**Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Snape.**" Harry greeted formally, making his professor sneer at him in greeting while the old man jovially ushered the teen into the seat next to the two of them.

"**Well, I heard that you two want me to witness this little meeting of yours, so what are we to do now, dear boys?**" Albus asked the two, peering into his half-moon spectacles, wondering on what either of them was planning.

"**Very well, this meeting is for me to confirm something about Potter's claims during the first class that I've held with his batch. I am going to ask some questions that I believe would either confirm or disclaim the truth of this statement. Shall we...**"The professor told the two but before he could finish, Harry interrupted him.

"**Professor, considering that that is your only intent regarding this interview, might I suggest the we swear a minor oath to ensure that the questions that you are going to ask are only those relevant to the information you wish to confirm and that I am to answer these questions truthfully and to refrain myself from not answering as long as the answer is relevant to the same? After all, it will ensure the validity of the result of this meeting despite the fact that it is not really necessary of me to satisfy your curiosity regarding the matter. In addition, with the headmaster as witness, the result will surely be more trustworthy from your point of view.**" He said using all the pureblood etiquette that he could muster.

Despite being annoyed at being bested subtly by someone he considered a child, he nodded and the two of them performed the oaths with the oldest of them binding himself as witness. With this done, they proceeded with Snape asking all the questions that he prepared.

-o-o-o-

As they concluded their meeting, with Snape having his curiosity satisfied, the three wizards stood from their seats and prepared to head towards their respective rooms.

Before Harry could exit the office, Snape's voice stopped him, "**I am not going to apologize to you for my attitude this previous years. However, as a sign of my respect towards your previous life's achievements, I will temper my dislike towards you, Potter.**"

Suddenly curious, the teen asked, "**Professor, I am going to ask you. Is it really me that you dislike, or is it the image of my father that you see in me? Because, you and I both know that all the actions that I have taken against you despite my better judgment are merely reactions towards your own antagonism towards me.**"

Sighing softly, Severus remained quiet for a moment before answering, "**I admit that during your first year here in Hogwarts, I was indeed transferring my hatred towards your father unto you. But, during the years, that notion was slowly being pushed out of my mind as I see no more of your father in you than I see something of your mothers and it's not just your eyes. In contrast, however, as I continue to see **_**you**_**, I continuously become aggravated by your utter recklessness. People like the headmaster might see it as selflessness on your part but the only thing that I see from your actions is a child who subconsciously wishes to be acknowledged not by a cursed scar received from an insane Dark Lord but by his own deeds. Year after year, you and your friends disregarded almost every rule in this school trying to play hero instead of approaching a responsible adult, like your professors.**" Seeing that the boy was about to protest, he raised his hand and continued, "**If you really wanted to be acknowledged, you could have simply done it by excelling in your studies but you did not even try. In your first year, I've heard from Professor McGonagall that you three have approached her about Flamel's Stone but had been rebuffed. But instead of going to another professor with your concerns, you foolishly headed towards danger without even thinking that you might have died in the process when you could have secured the help of a more experienced wizard. Second year, instead of approaching Lockhart, who you already knew as an incompetent dunderhead, you could have approached a more reliable professor. Thankfully, the headmaster's phoenix arrived in time to give you aide with the horcrux that was in Ginevra Weasley's possession along with the basilisk. Third year, before knowing of Black's innocence, you could have called a professor for help, even if it's Lupin whom you trusted at the time. If you had done so, he might have remembered to drink his potion before heading towards you and your friends. I'd give you no credit for your fourth year, seeing that it was the Dark Lord who orchestrated it all. But last year, you foolishly entered the toad's office without even consulting the mirror that the mutt gave you, although I admit that it was stupid of the mutt to expect you to realize what it was without being told, forgetting that you were raised by muggles who wish to know nothing more about the magical world than they already knew.**"

As soon as he finished his diatribe, Harry, reluctant to show his agreement about the professor's assessment of his actions, he asked, "**But, that does not answer you antagonistic attitude towards myself, Professor.**"

Moving towards his student, he answered clearly and without any slytherinesque undertone, "**It was my attempt to instil some discipline and humility in you since I cannot outwardly show any concern, however minor it was, towards my supposed master's destroyer. My role as a spy might have been compromised had I done so. As a matter of fact, despite your grade in your Potions O.W.L.s****3**** which would have been an E if it weren't for your textbook knowledge of some of the theories that I have no doubt that Granger drilled into your head at that time, you were not that good of a student. Your mind's always wondering and you allow yourself to be taunted into a temper by my slytherins. You could hardly control your temper and therefore, I thought you to be highly undisciplined. As for my want to keep you humble, the headmaster always deemed it necessary, almost to the point of being quite unfair, to reward you for any life-threatening acts you deemed to undertake. So, I took it upon myself to know that not everyone would regard your actions positively. And if you're wondering, I do remove points from those of my house, your house technically speaking, but I refuse to do it in public so it gives off the impression that I show favouritism towards them. If that is all, it's best that you return to your dormitory for I do not wish to be hounded by those friends of yours.**"

Acknowledging the older man's words, Harry nodded and replied, "**I guess, if put that way, my acts will probably be deemed as rash and unplanned. Very well, I concede to you that point, but I would appreciate it if you start seeing me through my present actions and not that of my past ones. Goodbye and good evening.**" And with that, he set off towards Gryffindor tower, his head reeling with Snape's words. He was actually rather unnerved by the Professor's sudden confession but thankful, nonetheless, for the insight.

Giving the password to the Fat Lady, he entered the common room and seeing it deserted, decided to sleep there rather than trek the stairs towards the boys' dormitory. Unconsciously casting protective wards on the couch, he allowed himself to fall into sleep.

-x-x-x-

Severus Snape, walked towards his cupboard and took a bottle of muggle brandy and poured himself a glass. He was glad that he managed to confirm the truth in his student's words but he was shocked at himself when he suddenly had an urge to explain himself to the boy. Although he only told the truth, he was rather appalled at himself for being so loose-tongued. _Maybe with the burden of being a spy off my shoulder, I unconsciously dropped my guard down and opened myself to someone who I seem to consider akin to myself if only in experience. Sigh, it would have been better had the boy spelled me to speak but I have already taken precautions against that kind of attack when I'm still playing double agent. Severus, get yourself together, you're becoming too soft..._ And with that thought in mind, the Potions Master went to his room to rest.

-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, as soon as Dumbledore reached his office, he made a show of dancing into a jig, much to the former headmasters and headmistresses' bemusement. He ate some more of his candies, signed some of the paperwork piled on his table and headed off to sleep with a huge smile on his old face thinking that things were finally working itself out for his favourite children.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Hi there, it seems that I'm back from the grave... Just kidding...

1 – I don't know whether there really is a potions ingredient such as moonbeam extract but since I can't think of something that could be like a transparent liquid that could be used to alter the effects of a specific potion. Besides, it has been made known to me through various readings that the moon is considered to quite a source of magical influence.

2 – I haven't yet decided on how to get Harry and Draco together, so this thought was based on the idea that Harry still think that given his political situation, he'll probably end up marrying a girl. Besides, from Harry's current point of view, this notion is just an expression. If you're wondering as whether I'd make it an mpreg story, I haven't really thought about it so don't get your hopes up...

3 – I don't remember whether I wrote something about their O.W.L result or not, so just in case, Harry got O but he barely got it.

I hope that you like this one, and please excuse any errors that you might see in this chapter...

And, if you want to know how the interview with Harry and Severus went, tell me, if I get enough reviews saying that you want me to, then I'll probably give it to you as a side-chapter along with Harry's O.W.L. results...

Also, if you guys could recommend someone to be my beta, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks for your patience my dear readers...

Yours truly,

Kyuubi04.


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